


FINDING HOME UNDER A LIGHTHOUSE

by Larryhasmyheart



Category: One Direction
Genre: Anne Marie the school principal, Descriptions are from my home town area i tried to minimize but loved picturing Larry there, Ed the choir director, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Manipulation, Faculty meeting scene meant to reflect bts wrangling, James Corden the cop, Louis is hurt when his friend Zayn moves away, M/M, No offense to Oli but he is annoying in this fic because i associate him with stunts, Ridiculously Romantic, Sexual Content, Sexual Humor, Simon the football (american) coach, implied masterbation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 11:57:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 37,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7933771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larryhasmyheart/pseuds/Larryhasmyheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by “Home,” Louis Tomlinson is in the process of coming to terms with his sexuality in the small, conservative North American town of Springdale, and is mourning the loss of his close friend Zayn.  But when Harry Styles moves to town the summer before his senior year of high school, not even the bigotry of Simon the high-profile football coach can detract him from bravely coming face to face with his own truth. Does Harry feel the same?  What about his “girlfriend” Hannah? What about the threat Simon poses to his friend Liam?  Nobody is famous in this AU that includes OT5, Hannah Walker, Oli, James Corden, Simon Cowell, Anne Marie Thompson, ED Sheeran, and special mention…Dan Wootten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	FINDING HOME UNDER A LIGHTHOUSE

**Author's Note:**

> Harry and Louis are BOTH 17 yrs old, about to be seniors, and though I initially intended this to be a "smut free" fic, there is a small section of...I really wouldn't call it smut. :) Technically this puts it in the "underage" catagory, but the one scene is mild relatively speaking :) Hope I have tagged this appropriately.  
> Lovingly put together over the past few months, this is the first fic I have ever written, though I have always enjoyed creative writing. I am happy to present it to you now. The fic in its entirety is in three parts; this is just Part One. It was inspired by my love for Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles, and my frustration with those who have made life difficult for them. This is a work of fiction and the story is completely made up by me. My hope is that it will bring joy and inspiration to the reader.  
> I would like to thank Vintage1Der, JoAnne Hankey, and Gettingaphdinlarry for their help and input at the beginning of the writing process! I appreciate it guys!  
> There are both moments of angst and fluff, though probably more fluff than angst, depending on your definition of angst.  
> There are 14 chapters included. The words in italics are either memories or texts. I have tried to keep this as "cheese-free" as possible, and I welcome ALL comments and constructive criticism to help me out with parts Two and Three. Thank you for taking the time to read!

Chapter one:  The Encounter

  


Tears finally fell freely from Louis Tomlinson’s cheeks as he started jogging, ignoring the distant shouts of his friend Stan.  He had no immediate plan, but the strength of his emotions drove him until he found himself at the small marina and breakwater on the edge of Lake Royal; the breakwater had often been a source of comfort to him.

He pulled up as he came to the grassy picnic area, breathless and dizzy, and leaned against one of the mature trees.  Wiping his brow and face, his gut suddenly soured; he bent over, arms around his belly.

He rested against the tree for a minute, using the inside of his tee shirt as a napkin, then fanning it in front of him, catching his breath.  Taking a step to the side to a clean patch of grass, he folded his arms across his belly and lowered himself against the tree trunk down to the ground. 

Not until this moment had he realized how much he depended on his friendship with Zayn.  Now Zayn was gone.  The events of the morning already seemed like a far-away dream.

_Early August heat beat down on a little group of friends that listened to the idling drone of a long U-Haul truck parked by the curb.  Its driver blew cigarette smoke out the window while waiting patiently for the group to say their last good byes to Zayn Malik._

His family waited in the sedan parked behind the moving truck, and Zayn stood in front of the group, his handsome face pained, hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts. 

_“Well…I guess this is it guys,”_

_He looked at each one, then let his gaze land on onefigure who stood looking away from him, arms crossed, one hip jutting out in abject denial.   Louis Tomlinson would be the hardest one to leave._

_His other friends gathered close, none of them prepared for the reality that he would not be starting his senior year with them in the fall; he would not be graduating high school with them._

_As Louis waited for each of the others to say their final good byes, he ground his teeth and blinked his blue eyes at the sky, desperately fighting tears.  Zayn understood him in a way no one else ever had._

_“Can’t believe you’re actually leaving man,” Liam Payne said as he gave him a crunching bear hug. Niall Horan was right behind him._

_“Seriously, we love you, you know?  Promise you won’t forget us once you’ve made a bunch of new friends down in Texas.”_

_“No way, man…you’re all on speed dial.”  He smiled weakly as he received a hug from Stan Johnson._

_Stan backed up and looked at him with a furrowed brow.  “Zayn….”_

_“I know…watch out for Louis for me.  Love ya man.”_

_The U-Haul driver poked his head out the window and cleared his throat._

_Zayn gave him a narrow-eyed look, then turned towards Louis.  Louis’ little blond girlfriend Hannah Walker, who he had only started dating that summer, was standing near him.  She gave Zayn a crooked little smile and stepped towards him giving him a quick hug._

_“Good luck Zayn,” she shook his hand, and he nodded._

_“Thanks Hannah.”_

_“I’m sure you’ll be great in Texas.”  She glanced at Louis then walked towards the group to give them privacy._

_Louis’ back stiffened as he sensed Zayn approaching.  He bent his head slightly and lifted one hand to swipe the fringe of light-brown bangs that framed his face.  Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he finally turned towards him, swallowing the lump in his throat; Zayn’s face scrunched up in a painful grimace._

_They stood for a moment before Zayn reached his arms around Louis in a long embrace.  Louis said huskily, “Damn it, this really sucks.”_

_Zayn didn’t respond right away, but sniffled and hugged him closer.  “Just remember…” he finally said in his quiet voice, “I know you...you are totally and forever golden.  Write, call, text me.”_

_“Always….Zayn.”_

_He stepped away, Louis blinking and pulling his light-blue scoop-necked tee shirt up to wipe his eyes.  They all waved sadly from the lawn as Zayn got into the backseat of the sedan.  The mini convoy pulled away, and Zayn rolled the window down and blew them all a kiss good bye, then pointed his finger at Louis until they disappeared around the corner._

_Louis’ insides crashed and crunched and his hand pressed against his stomach.  He turned and quickly walked away down the street, Hannah trying to follow after him._

_“I’m so sorry Louis…” she began._

_He sped up, and without turning around, raised his right arm behind him showing her his hand.  “Hannah, I just can’t today…” he began, then rolled his teary eyes to the sky.  “I mean…I need to be alone right now… please.”_

He had started running without looking back.

Leaning against the tree, he took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, starting to feel bad for leaving his friends and Hannah, who was sweet and everything….but it felt for the moment like he was looking down a long, dark tunnel; a dark tunnel with a door at the end, a door that was locked tight.  Only Zayn knew what was behind the door; he wasn’t even really sure himself.

In his mind, he turned from the door and crept along the dark hallway back towards the light, opening his eyes and looking up at the sun, still trying to calm his breath and his mind.  Life was ok before Zayn, and it would be ok after Zayn.  The little shit, fuck him; that thought only brought fresh tears.

He lifted the bottom of his shirt up, wiping his face once more, and wished he had a mint or some gum to mask the taste in his mouth.  He finally stood up carefully and headed for the pier. 

The breeze off the lake cooled his hot cheeks, and the familiar, raucous calls of the seagulls overhead somehow gave him an odd sense of security.  

The marina was a popular spot for tourists, and today was no different, as evidenced by the number of cars in the parking lot and the groups of people teaming about.  The last thing he wanted was conversation, but the pier itself was strangely quiet at the moment and it held a special place for him.      

As he walked down its length, there was something comforting about the dependable strength of the lake, its rhythmic waves slapping against the cement wall, its powerful expanse so deep he could barely see to the other side.  Sail and fishing boats dotted across the surface, adding to the tranquility that he invariably found there.

The end of the pier widened into a big square cement platform that served as a base for a small lighthouse that was held up nine feet in the air by strong, wide metal beams.  A narrow metal staircase with chipped white paint led to the little room that was big enough for the red light that blinked at night and two people, though it had been run electronically off site for years.    

Louis sat down and dangled his legs over the edge of the pier, welcoming the solitude and numbness of soul that seeped through his being to protect his heart and sooth his wounds. 

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw movement in his peripheral vision.  Turning fully around to get a better view, irritated that his serenity was so soon to be disturbed, he saw that it was one lone figure, a young man around his own age walking towards him down the pier. 

He watched until he was fairly certain that he was a tourist.  In their small town, most locals were immediately identified; at least it wasn’t someone he would be obligated to talk to. 

Extending his arms behind him, he propped his upper body up, leaned back, closed his eyes, and let the sun warm him as the breeze teased his hair. He tried to ignore the soft footsteps nearby, and concentrated instead on letting the sounds of the water, seagulls and boats hypnotize him.

“Sure is beautiful here, isn’t it?”

The low-pitched voice sounded much closer than the footsteps had.  Maybe if he just gave a one-word answer without looking, the stranger would go away…or at least stop talking.

“Yup,” he offered without moving.

Instead of leaving, the stranger sat down on the platform close by and dangled his own feet over the wall.  “I never imagined a lake this big …it’s almost like the ocean.” The lilt in his voice conveyed his sincerity. 

So much for that idea, Louis thought to himself, and sighed deeply.  In his present mood, Louis much preferred the numbness to the cheerful banter of a tourist.  He wasn’t ready, however, to give up his spot.

For a moment there was nothing but the seagulls and the distant drone of a motorboat.

“I wonder if the lighthouse above us is a working one…do you live around here?”

Louis reluctantly sat up and brought his arms in front of him.  Opening his eyes in a squint, longing for his sunglasses, he shielded them with one hand and looked to find the stranger sitting a few feet to his right; a quick scan told him he had indeed never seen him before - then he stared.

The boy wore a v-neck white tee over a pair of jean shorts that came just above his knees, with a pair of toms covering bare feet.  Louis’ eyes travelled from his toms up to his cherub-like smiling face. 

Louis’ mouth twitched, but what arrested him next were the thick, loose brunette curls that covered his head and came down around his ears; his bangs hung in a fringe to the side.  Emerald green eyes that reflected the sun squinted back at him and his smile widened, dimples the size of craters popping out in his cheeks.

“Hope I’m not bothering you…” his voice was smooth but oozed sincerity, and he gave off a vibe that Louis found both intriguing and incredibly troublesome.

“A little late for that, aren’t we?” he answered a bit shortly, but laced with just enough humor to be palpable.  The other boy hesitated, but one side of his mouth still raised in a half smile.

“Oh…whoops…sorry.”  He pulled one foot up onto the platform and bent his knee, resting his arm across it, giving no indication that he was going anywhere. 

Louis found himself a bit horrified that perhaps he no longer wanted him to leave.  That was unacceptable to him.  This was his day to mourn Zayn. 

He replied to the intriguing interloper with as much offense as he could muster.  “Do you always just legit start up conversations with random strangers?”

The curly haired boy narrowed his eyes a bit and looked out over the water, shaking his head ever so slightly.  “No…but sometimes the mood just strikes me.” He turned his eyes towards Louis and gave him a sideways once over.

“It’s my lucky day then!” Louis answered, dripping with sarcasm.

The boy looked at him squarely and raised his hand to brush his bangs aside.  “You’re cheeky.” He stated bluntly yet still openly friendly.

Louis nodded, “So I’ve been told…look, I’m having a crappy day...” the understatement ended with an unexpected catch in his voice as emotion suddenly threatened to engulf him.  He faked a cough and cleared his throat, summoning up enough irritation so he could finish his thought with dignity.  “…but as long as you’ve already disturbed my serenity, I may as well answer your question. YES, I am from here, and YES, the lighthouse works.  It blinks at night.”

The boy stared at him intently then, sudden understanding softening his look, but he only said, “That’s very cool; thanks for telling me.”

Louis pulled both his knees up and hugged them.  The sun had moved just enough so that it was no longer directly in their faces, and he looked back at the boy who now seemed to be gathering himself to go.  He was mostly relieved, but there was a twinge of annoying disappointment.

“You don’t have to leave on my account…it’s not like I own the pier. Far be it from me to chase away the tourists,” He said gruffly, turning to look out at the water.

“That’s all right.”  The boy pulled both legs up onto the pier to stand.  “I’m not a tourist.”

As he started to get up, Louis looked him up and down from head to toe.  “I’ve never seen you before.  What’s your name?”

“Harry Styles.”  He reached down with an outstretched hand, and Louis stood up and slowly reached to shake it.  “Louis Tomlinson.”

As they shook hands their eyes locked, and Louis lowered his hand to his side, opening and closing his fist. 

“My family moved here recently from Arizona…” Harry explained, taking a step back. 

“Oh…so you live here?” Louis gestured with his thumb towards town.

“I do now,” he responded simply, and a sad little shadow involuntarily passed over his eyes.

“What year are you in school?” Curiosity was getting the better of Louis, and the fact that this Harry would be sharing the town of Springdale, population 4,000, with him, suddenly changed the dynamics of their conversation.

“I’ll be starting as a Senior this fall.”  

Louis put his hands on his hips, shifting his weight to his right leg, and chuckled down at the cement platform.   “Same,” he said, raising his head and swinging his bangs to the side.  He pointed the first two fingers of his right hand in the air.  “Same.”

“Nice!”  Harry smiled and nodded, but the sad little shadow remained.  “I’ll know at least one person.”

Louis’ face slowly lost any sign of mirth as a very ironic thought hit his gut.  “So…your friends are all back in Arizona.” he blurted the obvious statement without thinking.

Harry knotted his brow and stared back at him, and Louis felt his earlier nausea creep back through his innards.   Zayn was on his way to Texas as they spoke, and he would be the new guy in a strange town, not knowing anybody.  

“Sorry…” he began apologetically, then crossed his arms and pulled his eyes from Harry’s face.   “Sorry, “ he continued coarsely, “One of my best friends moved away today…and all I can think about is how unfair it is that he can’t graduate with us and how shitty it makes me feel that he’s gone, and how I really just want to hate everyone right now…” 

His emotions rose dangerously close to the surface, and in the corner of his eye saw Harry’s mouth open and his eyes widen with feeling.  Louis turned around to face the open expanse of water and blinked his eyes.  “I’m annoyed as hell that I just shared that with you, but, whatever…”

“I’m glad you did.”  There was a tremor in Harry’s quiet voice.  “I also miss someone special back home…”

Louis heard him take a few steps backwards.  “He wasn’t _special...”_ he angrily clipped over his shoulder in answer, “…he was my best friend!”

The footsteps stopped and there was a pause.

 _“Seems_ special.”

Louis turned his head, then his whole body, around to face him.  Harry stood several feet away, but the look on his face and tone of his voice unmistakably reflected one who was internalizing his own demons.  He stood there while the breeze twirled his curls in the wind and billowed up under his tee shirt.  He licked his lips and swallowed.

“Anyway,” Harry continued, “this is probably a special spot for you.”  He pivoted and started walking away down the pier.  “I do have to go…it was nice meeting you Louis.”

Louis was simply unable to speak at that point, but, as Harry looked back one more time, he lifted his hand in acquiescence.

Harry smiled, returned the gesture, and called, “I just might come back here tonight when it is dark to see the lighthouse in action,” then turned for the final time and started walking away at a purposeful clip.  “I just might…” he called to the sky, making sure Louis heard him, “…I just might do that!”    

Louis watched him go, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh, cry, or rip his shirt into tiny pieces.

 

 

CHAPTER TWO:  KINDLING

  


The shadows of late afternoon and early evening were spreading their way across the residences and lawns of Louis’ neighbors by the time he got back to his own back yard that day.  The bells of a nearby Methodist church rang out as was customary every evening at six o’clock, indicating he was getting home just in time for supper.  The smell of frying chicken met his nose as he walked through the back door.

His mother and sister Lottie were setting the table, but looked up as he came in; he went right to the sink to get a glass of water.

“About time, big brother,” Lottie chided as she laid the silverware.  “Where’ve you been all day?”

Louis ignored her and drank down the water in one big gulp. 

“I’ve been worried about you,” his mother said with softness. “I haven’t seen you since you left this morning to see Zayn off.” 

He set the glass in the sink and wiped his mouth.  “Yeah, I’m sorry mom,” He answered hoarsely.  “I was down at the break water.”

“I know this was very hard for you.”  She came around the table and he met her with arms open, letting her take him in a big hug.  “I’m sorry babe…you haven’t eaten all day?”  She pulled back to look into his face, and her eyebrows knit together in concern.   She brought her hands up and held his face.  Lottie peeked at them as she finished the table.

“Hannah called earlier…wondering if you had come home yet.” She watched as he blinked and looked down at his shoes.  “Maybe give her a call and let her know you’re ok before she leaves for vacation in the morning; it’s the nice thing to do.”

He said nothing, but nodded, and she hugged him again tighter before stepping back.

“Now, I want you to get ready to eat dinner so you don’t blow away.  Promise me one thing first though…” she held his shoulders and looked him in the eye.  “You can talk to me about anything, you know that, right? It’s hard losing a friend like Zayn…promise you won’t let this fester?”     

“I won’t let this fester,” he dead panned.

“Louis Tomlinson….”

“I promise, mom,” he said in earnest, “I won’t.”  Before she could respond, he moved over and held his face above the pan of frying chicken.  “I honestly haven’t been hungry all day…but now I’m famished.”

 

Later that evening he sat on his bed leaning against the headboard with legs crossed checking his phone and text messages.  There was a text from Stan telling him to call whenever he was ready for company, and that the guys were getting together the next day for some baseball.  There was a voicemail from his mother, a voicemail and text from Hannah, of course, expressing her concern and asking him to call when he could….and there was a text from Zayn. 

He sat looking at the name for a minute, then clenched his jaw and pressed “open,” bracing himself for whatever onslaught of emotion might accompany the text.

_“Hey Louis.  We’re almost to Kansas City, but trying to push it to Oklahoma before stopping for the night.  Weird that this truck driver is travelling with us.  I just want you to please remember what I said.  (Namaste hands emoji) Say hi to the guys.  I miss you all already. Love, Zayn.”_

Resisting the urge to throw the phone across the room, he instead tossed it on the bed.  “No, Zayn,” he said to himself as he closed his eyes shut tight and crossed his wrists over his forehead.  “No, I won’t remember; the sooner I forget the better.  I can’t...it was just a stupid….”

He reached for his phone again and called Hannah, listening to it ring three times.

“Hello, Louis?”

“Hi Hannah….sorry I…”

“I’ve been so worried about you.  You were so sad this morning.”

“Well, yeah…that’s normal, I think.” He bit his lip.  “I’m sorry for making you worry; I didn’t mean to be rude, honest.”

“I’m not mad or anything; I just hated seeing you so upset.  I understand you and Zayn had gotten close…I just can’t imagine how it would be if Stan moved away, you know?  You’ve been _his_ friend your whole life.”    

Louis started to speak, then snapped his mouth shut.  He took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully through his nose.  “I’m feeling better now.  I just needed time alone…” the face of the curly headed Harry flashed through his brain.

“I was hoping to see you before I left,” she stated plaintively.  “Do you want to stop over tonight? We’re making root beer floats.”

“All right.  But Hannah…I’m kinda done talking about Zayn, ok?  He’ll always be a friend, but he’s gone now; he’s moving across the frikken country. “

She hesitated.  “Ok….whatever you need.  Just know if you ever change your mind and want to talk, I’m here.”

He pinched his thumb and pointer finger over his closed eyes.  “I appreciate that…but I’m good.”

“So, come on over…we’ll drink root beer floats and make fun of “The Big Bang Theory.”

A smile slipped onto his face.  “All right.  I’ll bike it over; see you in a bit.”

He brushed his teeth quick, changed into a white and red striped tee, and went downstairs.

“Mom, you’ll be happy to know I talked to Hanna.  Hi Mark,” he said to his stepdad, who was eating a reheated chicken dinner.  He lifted a fork and nodded his head. 

“You hanging in there?”

“Actually, I’m biking over to Hannah’s for a while.”  He kissed his mother’s cheek, who was sipping coffee across the table from her husband.

“Aw, that’s good sweetie.  Have fun.”

 

The sound of loud slurping permeated the living room as Louis sucked up the last drops of his root beer float from the bottom of the glass, crossing his eyes at the same time.   He sat on the couch with Hanna, one leg bent at the knee, his foot underneath his other thigh.

She laughed at his antics as the closing credits hopped across the screen of yet another episode of “The Big Bang.”

“I’m so glad you came over,” she smiled, elbow on the back of the couch, head leaning on her fist.

“Me too.” He set the malt glass down on the coffee table and glanced outside at the rapidly approaching twilight.  The lighthouse would soon be blinking.  No, he thought to himself.  Just, no.  He smiled at Hannah, and called to the Gods for inspiration.  “Thanks for the invite.”

Hannah’s brother Michael came downstairs and breezed through the room, glanced at them, and rolled his eyes without speaking.  Hannah called after him, “creep!”

They laughed at each other, then Hannah’s mother came into the room.  “I really hate to break up this party, but Hannah dear, remember we are leaving at 4am so we can get to the airport early enough.”

“I know, mom, I know….I’ll sleep on the plane.”

Louis tapped her hand with his fingers.  “Hannah…I am kind of tired; it’s been a really long day.”  He stood up.  “I’d hate for you to lose sleep over me.” 

Hannah’s mother smiled and tilted her head.  “Well, there’s a very considerate boy!”

Louis felt his cheeks flush, but he said, “What can I say!” 

Hannah got up and walked outside with him onto the step.

“I’ll miss you,” she said as she gave him a hug.  “It would be much more fun if you were there.”

He looked over her shoulder at a corner of the sky; the first stars were starting to twinkle.  “Haha,” he chuckled.  “I’m sure it would be fun, yeah.”  He backed up, hands on her upper arms as she held his shoulders and reached up to give him a kiss.  Her lips pressed into his and he returned the gesture, searching for the electric current that he had once experienced…but never with her.

As they pulled apart, she searched his smiling face. 

“Good bye, Hannah banana. I’ll call you.”

She smiled ruefully.  “Bye Louis Louis.  I’ll send a post card.” 

He walked down the steps and hopped on his bike, flipping the kick stand.  He sat for a minute with a closed mouth smile, his feet still on the sidewalk on either side of the bike. “Thanks for the root beer…and the laughs tonight.  I’m sure you’ll have great time.”

“I’ll try somehow! Bye!”

As he pushed off and started peddling, he looked behind him once more to find her hugging herself, her brow knotted in a little look of confusion.

 

Louis sped off into the encroaching night, frustration giving energy to his legs, and he peddled like his life depended on it.  “The Gods have disappointed me,” he thought to himself. “Why…?” It was a question that was hard to ignore, but he usually succeeded; today, however, was a day that had stirred up a lot of emotions and memories and…

After a few blocks he finally slowed.  The next intersection was coming up, and he told himself out loud, “I’m going straight through that intersection, and I’m going home…I’m going home.”

He came up to the corner and found himself pulling the handlebars to the left, turning onto Lake Street….the street that would take him to the pier.  “I’m insane,” he thought to himself, then shouted out loud, “Insane!”     

The street started a slight decline that continued all the way to the pier area, so he coasted most of the way.

“Ok,” he told himself, “I’m not being a jerk for telling Hannah I was tired…I AM tired…I just took a little detour on the way home; it’s damn nice out.”

He passed an occasional pedestrian and dodged a few cars.  There was more activity as he came to the downtown area, which amounted to two blocks of local retailers, including the sporting goods store he worked at, an ice cream parlor, a few banks and a couple bars.  The road that led to the marina levelled out, and he switched back to peddling.

By the time he reached the bike rack next to the parking lot, the sun had completely disappeared and it was nearly dark; the one tall street lamp was lit.  There were only a few cars parked, with people still in them, and a dozen small boats bobbed along the pier reflecting the light of the rising moon.

He locked his bike and headed to the pier…and the little lighthouse started blinking.  “Timing,” he thought to himself, and a little anxious fluttering started in his stomach.

Across the bay stood a row of large steel iron ore shafts that regularly dumped oar, brought by train from local mines, into ore boats that took its goods through the water ways to areas all over the world.  Lights along the shafts sparkled and reflected off the water.

He saw nobody on the pier and he took a deep breath as he made his way down it for the second time that day.  His frame of mind was quite different, and the still of the night and starlight were quiet and peaceful.  The only thought on Zayn he allowed to linger was the fact he was most likely in Oklahoma by now getting ready to start his new life.

He stopped short of the lighthouse so he could look up and watch its light – the steady rhythmic blinking a sort of message to the soul that some things could be counted on; some things didn’t change.  He had watched the lighthouse his whole life, and in twenty years the lighthouse would still be blinking. 

A scuffling noise behind him broke through his chain of thought.  He jumped a little and whirled around to come face to face with the curly boy called Harry, who stood smirking at him. 

Louis spread his hand out on his chest and exhaled, “You scared the shit out of me!”

“I didn’t want to interrupt you again.”

Louis tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.  “And yet you followed and snuck up right behind me?”

Harry smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and took a drink from the bottle of water he had with him; he licked his lips and lifted his face to the red beacon.  “The lighthouse is hypnotizing; I bet you never get tired of it.”

Watching him, Louis fought down the fluttering that was increasing in his chest, then snapped his fingers.

“That’s right!  You know, I totally forgot that you said you were coming back here tonight!”

Harry looked at him with a twinkle.  “And yet you remembered enough to mention it,” he said with a smile in his voice.

“Ho ho!” Louis shook his head and pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. 

He turned and walked to the end of the pier.  The red blinking light reflected off the night sky, along with the stars that popped out one by one.  Harry stepped up beside him.

“Now, why did I _know_ you were going to come stand next to me?”

“I, on the other hand,” Harry continued his thought, looking out at the water, “honestly had no idea you would be here.”

Louis glanced at him with a narrow-eyed glare, then nodded his head and looked back at the water.  “Oh yeah…that’s why you screamed that you “just might be” coming back tonight to the heavens…screamed it loud enough, twice in fact, just to make sure I heard you.”

Harry turned his face to him in a dimple popping smile.  “My, our memory seems to have returned in spades!”

Louis closed his eyes and turned his head away, unable to keep a grin from popping up on his face.  He crossed his arms, “Oh no, you can’t put this back on me,” he said, chagrined that he couldn’t come up with something more diabolical while Harry softly chuckled. 

The surrounding natural lights of the moon and artificial lights in the bay reflected off his face and hair as he looked straight ahead to the water and bit his tongue between his teeth.  He sensed Harry staring at him and felt heat go up the back of his neck.

“So,” Harry began, “What brought you down here then, Mr. Cheeky?”

Louis whipped his head around and pointed at him.  “I’m glad you asked me that, Mr. Curly!”  He pursed his lips, pulled his finger back and swore to himself.  Harry’s dimpled smile appeared again.  Louis turned away and then back again.

“For your information, I just left my girlfriend’s house and decided to stop by here on the way home.  Like you said, I never get tired of this place!” he ended with his chin jutting out and rocked back and forth on his heels and toes.

Harry watched him and took another drink. 

“You have a girlfriend?”

“Yes, smarty pants.  Her name is Hannah.”

Harry took another drink and put the back of his hand up to his mouth and ran his top teeth over his bottom lip.  “You say that like you’re in a debate of some kind.”

Their banter was starting to hit close to a raw nerve.

Louis pointed his thumb at his own chest.  “You say _I’m_ cheeky…. _I’m_ cheeky?”  

He snorted and crossed his arms again.  He was in a debate all right…in a debate whether or not to push Mr. Curly and his angel face off the end of the pier.

The energy between them shifted.  Harry looked away, blinking at the water, then sat down on the edge of the pier and dangled his feet like he had earlier that day.   He looked at the moon, which was a three-quarter crescent, now high in the sky.

Louis stole a glance down at him from his stance, and his expression softened.  Harry looked from the moon down to his water bottle, which was now empty, and he started nervously turning it slowly in his hands.   Light beams reflected on his hair and in his eyes that were now contemplative.  An anvil suddenly turned in Louis’ gut. 

He sat down beside him with his hands clamped over the edge. “Go ahead,” he began almost jovially, and poked him gently in the shoulder, “make a crack about how you just _knew_ I was going to come sit next to you!”

Harry smiled at him from the corners of his mouth and his eyes held his for a moment.  “But I didn’t know…I’m glad you did though.”

Louis stared back at him, eyes soft and round as saucers, and the anvil melted into a mush of goo that travelled up towards his heart.  The back of his brain whispered to him, “this kid isn’t a smart ass; he’s just honest, sensitive and…”

As if on cue, Harry said, “I’m sorry if I crossed the line a bit…I didn’t mean to invade your space.”

Louis blinked at him as he maintained eye contact, then let his gaze travel around his face.  “You can….I mean you didn’t….I mean it’s all right.” They both started giggling, looking away, stealing glances and bursting out laughing again. 

Louis finally ran his top teeth over his bottom lip, ending in a close-lipped smile, his eyes still laughing.  Harry’s whole face smiled, his eyes as bright as the lighthouse.        

They sat quietly for a moment, and a new sort of “now what” tension traveled between them.  A tightness wrapped its fingers around Louis’ chest and he found breathing a bit strained, and felt his pulse quicken behind his ears. 

“So…um…” he scratched behind his head and breathed out, “What brought your family here?  All the way up from Arizona?”

Harry cleared his throat.  “My mom was an editor for a newspaper down there, and they did some shifting around.  She didn’t particularly like what they were doing…”  He looked down at his feet.  “She decided she wanted a whole new outlook; a...a fresh start away from the big city.  An opportunity popped up here and someone from the office had connections.  She’ll be working as editor for The Tide Tribune.”

“Oh, wow…that’s very cool.  She must have been brave though…pulling up stakes and all.”

Harry glanced over at him in quiet surprise and gave him a little smile before looking back over the water and continuing.

“Well….my parents are divorced, and it wasn’t particularly friendly.”  He picked at his water bottle.  “My dad…long story, but I haven’t seen him in a very long time,” his eyebrows knitted together, “and ….well…leaving was part of her decision to start somewhere fresh.”

He paused, and Louis listened with raw emotions; the speed with which he was making connections with this stranger was starting to frighten him a little.

“Sorry…sounds intense.”  Harry looked up at the sincerity in his voice.  “I, uh…I never knew my own father.  He just never came around, and I…” he made eye contact and shrugged his shoulders.  “I sometimes wonder about him.  But I suppose it would be harder to lose someone after knowing them.”

“Thanks - it kinda sucked for a while - won’t lie, sometimes still does, but to be honest mostly it is a relief.”  He searched Louis’ face.  “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation; I don’t usually talk about my father to people much.”

Louis nodded, his blue eyes studying him, face soft, but insides all tangled.

Harry continued, “My older sister Gemma is working and attending college, so she stayed in Arizona.  She offered to let me stay with her…so I could finish out my senior year.”

He paused again and pulled his gaze from Louis’ eyes and took a deep breath.

Louis bent his head to follow him. “But you decided not to?” He prompted.

“No.  She tried to hide it for my sake, but I could tell mom really wanted me to come with her, and I…I couldn’t let her leave by herself.  As much as I miss my friends, I think I would miss and worry about my mom more.” 

They sat quietly for a few moments, the air between them thick with the knowledge that something genuine and friendly was happening.

“You know,” Louis shook his finger lightly at him, “You came across as this smart ass, but you really are just a big sap!”

“Thank you…I’m told it’s one of my more endearing qualities!”  he said with a slight smirk.

“See, right there!” Louis’ finger froze.  “That sounds like you’re being sarcastic, but I’ll bet someone probably legit said that to you verbatim.”

Harry’s cheeks puffed out in a smile, “Mom.”

They both laughed again.

“What about you?” Harry pulled his legs up, pivoted on his bum to face him, and sat Indian style.  “Have you lived here all your life?”

“Yessir, you are talking to a small-town boy.” He mimicked Harry, and they both sat Indian style facing each other.

“Are the winters here as bad as they say?”

“Frigid!  But then you have snowmobiling, ice fishing, tobogganing…hockey is big too, though I don’t play…” he shook his head, arranged his bang, and looked back up.  “…I like skating though.”      

“Skating would be fun, especially outside on a lake…” his smile broadened.  “…I’d like to try that sometime.”

“Yeah, we’ll…..”  Louis leaned his elbows on his knees, leaning over slightly, his scoop-neck shirt gaping, and laced his fingers together.   He looked down at his hands and picked the cuticles of his thumbs.  “Um…you’ll have to do that definitely.”

There was a pause, and Louis looked up from under his eyebrows to catch Harry staring at his gaping shirt.  Harry lifted his eyes, and when they met Louis’ he immediately flushed, and with a little smile looked down again.  Louis felt heat zap him in the gut and flow through him like warm oil.  Jesus, he thought to himself.

He watched Harry pick up a tiny rock someone’s shoe had left behind and study it like it was very important before tossing it over the pier.

At that moment they both turned to see a man and woman making their way down the pier.  The couple had their arms around each other’s waists, and the girl’s head rested on her lover’s shoulder.  They were smiling, laughing, and occasionally pecking each other in a kiss.   

Louis felt his own cheeks flush; the spectacle heightened his embarrassment.

“Well, this may be our cue to skedaddle…unless you want a free show.  This is kind of a popular spot for people to…eh, you know…” he scratched the back of his head and chuckled to himself.  They both stood up and started walking, and as they passed the couple, the girl smiled at them as she continued talking to her beau.

When they got a few paces away, Louis put both hands to his chest with his fingers intertwined in a praying hands fist and screwed up his face.  “Oh _please,”_ he mocked in a high-pitched voice, turning to face the couple and walking backwards.  “Please, you are so beautiful!”  

Harry opened his mouth in a silent incredulous laugh, and the couple turned to look over their shoulders.  They didn’t seem bothered, and only gave a short laugh before continuing on with their conversation.

Louis turned back around, but continued his pantomime.

“I just love you so _much!”_ He beat a fist against his chest.  “I don’t know what I’d do _without_ you!” 

Harry started laughing out loud, bent over and slapped his knee, watching Louis and shaking his curls before rearranging them neatly across his forehead. 

“I can’t believe you did that!” Harry laughed at him.

The earlier tension between them was broken.  Louis laughed back, and spontaneously through his arm around Harry’s shoulders.  “Right!” he continued in his falsetto voice.  “Because this is the place for love!  You must not ever leave me!”

Harry laughed even louder, but it was accompanied by slightly flushed cheeks and a hint of pleased embarrassment.  “You’re hilarious.”

“Yeah, that’s me, “he said in his normal laughing voice, “hilarious!”

They came to the end of the pier, and Louis made his way to his bike.

“Louis!” a loud male voice shouted.  They stopped and looked to see someone in one of the cars poke their head out of the driver’s seat window.  “Weren’t you just with Hannah?”

Louis swallowed and whispered to Harry, “That’s my girlfriend’s brother Michael; he’s kind of a jerk.”

“Yeah…I’m on my way home, why?” he called back in a slightly defiant tone.

“I thought you told her you were tired!” he shot back.  His glace fell on Harry, and he didn’t look amused.  “You look _real_ tired!”

Louis ground his teeth and Harry looked at him sideways, then bravely said to Michael, “It’s true…he told me all about her.”

Michael looked narrowly between them.

“You make me tired Michael.”  Louis added.  “I just stopped by on my way home and ran into a friend…not that it’s any of your business.  Why don’t you flake off?”

He should have left off that last part, but he just couldn’t help himself.  Michael had always irritated him.  He turned to Harry.  “Sorry about that,” he said under his breath.  “Are you walking?”

“Yeah…it’s so nice out.”

Michael chatted with the other person in the car, then started it up and backed out.  “Well, have fun with your little friend!” And sped out of the parking lot.

They both watched the car disappear.  “You’re right,” Harry said, “He is kind of a jerk.”

“Now I _am_ tired.” Louis answered, but gave him a thumbs up.  “That was very cool of you to speak up.”  He leaned over to unlock his bike.

Harry watched him with a thoughtful expression.  “Well…for the record, I’m glad you showed up.  Hope you’re not in any sort of trouble. It was nice talking to someone; you’re the only one I know in town.”

Louis stood up and pulled his bike from the rack.  “I suppose I may be in for it, but…” he looked at Harry and grinned, “I have every right to take whatever detour I want.”

His statement made Harry smile big.  Louis hopped on his bike and smiled back.  “This is a very nice spot to take a detour…especially with the lights at night…”

“Absolutely…” there was a pause between them, then Harry continued as he started walking up the road, “I just might have to come back tomorrow…this place is amazing!”

“Yes it is,” Louis said quietly to himself.  He pushed off and started peddling.  “Ok then,” he called to Harry, “I _just might_ see you around.”

Harry waved to him and he waved back, peddling off into the night.

Louis was thankful for the incline he needed to go back up in order to get home.  The truth was, he could have stayed all night long talking to this person he hadn’t even known 24 hours.  The effort he needed to expend was a nice distraction.  There was a warmth that had settled in his chest but also nervous butterflies in his stomach that seemed to let loose in his whole body. 

He looked to the night sky and said aloud, “God, you are not funny…not one little bit.” 

  

 

CHAPTER THREE - TRANSITION

 

“Ball three, Oli! That’s 3-0; you’re going to have to bring it up if you plan on being the next Zayn!”

Liam taunted the young man on the pitcher’s mound as he stood at home plate waiting for a pitch to swing at. 

Louis crouched down in the catcher’s position and adjusted his sunglasses as he looked out at the wanna-be pitcher and attempted to give him the signs.  

Oli was tall, lean, had stereotypical orange-red hair, and a perpetual look of “what” on his face.  He was an acquaintance who worked with him at the sporting goods store, but he had never developed a rapport with him.  The idea of him replacing Zayn as a pitcher, or in any capacity, was laughable. 

It didn’t seem possible that just a day and a half ago they were saying goodbye to Zayn, and now they were honoring him with this post-season “just for fun” ballgame, but his heart wasn’t in it.  Zayn’s absence on the pitcher’s mound tore at a wound that had started to heal, and all the implications caused a stressful little ball to turn on his insides.  His mind went back to one game in particular.

_The stands at the baseball field in the small town of Springdale were half filled with parents, family, and friends to watch the opening scrimmage of the sophomore baseball team.  They were only playing seven innings, and it was the bottom of the seventh with a tie score._

_Louis Tomlinson crouched in the catcher’s position as his friend Liam stood over home plate gripping his bat waiting for the pitch.  Zayn Malik, who had joined the team and become a good friend that year, stood poised on the pitcher’s mound waiting for Louis to give him the sign.  He shook his head and waited for another, but Louis stubbornly gave the same sign.  Stan stood widely at third base waiting to come home for the win._

_“This is gonna be an out!” Louis provoked with smirk.  Liam kept his eye on the pitcher, but answered, “In your dreams Tomlinson.”  He heard Louis’ raspy laugh behind him._

_Cheers began as the pitcher prepared for the throw.  A group of girls from their class stood by the side where a cooler of bottled water waited, each cheering on their favorite.  “Home run Liam!” one of them called out with a flirtatious smile.  His father cried from the stands.  “Let’s go!”_

_The ball whipped from Zayn’s hand and landed on the tip of the bat with a loud crack, flying into left field in a line drive.  It bounced once and Niall, the shortstop, who had backed up in preparation for Liam’s skilled bat, picked it up and immediately threw hard to home plate._

_Stan shot from third base and ran full speed to home as Louis crouched in front of the plate with glove ready to catch the ball and tag him out.  As the ball landed in his glove, Stan plowed into him and slid his foot over the plate before the tag._

_The umpire yelled “safe” and Liam stopped his run to first and circled around doing a fist pump, the stands erupting in a cheer as team A was declared the winner.  Other batters on the team rose from the bench to congratulate Stan, but Louis threw his glove and face helmet aside and ran out to rush at Zayn, tackling him with a relish and pinning him to the ground in a cloud of dust._

_“You little shit!” he exclaimed good naturedly.  “Why did you throw a curve ball?”  With a grin on his handsome face, Zayn kneed his stomach and turned him over. While their teammates laughed and gathered to do the typical handshaking and slapping each other on the back, they continued their wrestling match, legs and arms all a tangle._

_“I told you,” Zayn teased in his face, eyes twinkling, “he never hits the curve ball!”_

_“You were wrong, weren’tchya?”  Louis grunted with effort, and while neither boy was very big, Louis had the advantage of a wiry toughness in body and attitude.  With his knee on Zayn’s lower abdomen and his hands pinning him down by the biceps, he succeeded in disabling him._

_He held his face over Zayn’s, both boys out of breath, and looked into his friend’s teasing brown eyes._

_“Do you cry uncle?” Louis said finally, slightly unnerved to realize he was enjoying himself very much._

_Zayn burst out laughing.  “Get OFF you monkey!”_

_The umpire stared at them for a minute while the rest of the team started filing off the field, then blew his whistle.  “Ok, that’s it boys!”_

_Louis relented and they both got up and brushed off, Louis a bit sheepish.  Niall and Stan trotted up to them. “Don’t worry Lou, you’ll make it up next time!”  Niall playfully punched Zayn in the shoulder.  “That WAS awesome though, keeping the score so low, bro!”_

_“Thanks!” Zayn replied, grinning at Louis who was running his hand through his hair straightening his bangs._

_All four made their way to Liam and the girls._

_“So, guys, here is our chance,” Niall spoke from the side of his mouth as he removed his helmet from his blond head and motioned to the girls, a few who were watching them approach.  “Who do you like?”_

_Louis walked with his face to the ground, but raised his eyes to study the girls, none of whom he would particularly care to wrestle with.  He stopped on a dime._

_“Let me grab my helmet…go on, I’ll catch up.”_

_He trotted back to home plate where he had left it, and as he picked it up and turned, the umpire slowly walked past him.  He was in his mid-thirties with close-cropped hair and a strong jaw, and had lit up a cigarette.  He said nothing, but his eyes bore into Louis’ in an unfriendly way._

_Louis narrowed his eyes and spat, “What are you staring at?”_

_“Kid, if you want to wrestle with your little teammates, do it on your own time. We don’t need that shit here.”_

_Louis felt the back of his neck heat up, and he glanced around but there was no one near to hear their exchange._

_“What are you talking about, ass hole.”  The words tumbled out of his mouth in anger, not considering that the other man was twice his size and in a position of authority._

_“Keep that up patsy, and you’ll find yourself off the baseball team.”_

_Louis looked at the man’s nametag, which said “Simon Cowell– umpire” on it.  He fought to control the anger that rose in his throat.  “Well, Simon, no disrespect, but if you keep harassing me, you may find yourself without a job.” Without waiting for a reply, he hooked his helmet under his arm and stalked off to join the others._

_Everybody was smiling and joking, his friends hugging their parents while the group of girls stood by waiting their turn.  Louis saw his mother, stepfather Mark, and Lottie waiting for him, their hands shielding their eyes from the sun, Mark with a big supportive thumbs up.  He plastered a big smile on his face as he went to meet them, but there was a lump in his chest and gut that stole some of the joy of the day from him._

Oli’s oily voice brought him back to the present.

“Gimmie a break, would ya?” Oli complained as he prepared to give his next pitch. 

He watched Louis for the sign then wound up and threw with all the strength he could muster for a fast ball, praying for a strike.  Liam swung with a loud crack, and the ball sailed high and far, completely out of the park.  Trotting round the bases, tossing his bat, he gave Oli a good-natured sarcastic thumbs up.

Niall, at shortstop, giggled, “Well, that’s another way to go, Oli!”

“Fuck you guys!” he complained, tossing his mitt to the ground.  “I’m outta here!”

“Hey, don’t be sore!”  Niall walked a few paces towards him with his arms out.  “We’re just giving you shit.”

Oli wordlessly continued walking and left through the chicken-wire fence gate as Louis walked to the bench and sat down next to Stan.

“Good riddance,” he muttered to himself as Stan called out, “It’s a game anyway; let him go!”  He offered Louis his hand and Louis gave him a high five.  

“Good game!”  Liam slapped a few butts as several of the guys who had shown up to scrimmage with them made their way to their bikes or cars, waving goodbye.  Finally there were just those closest to Zayn left sitting on the bench:  Louis, Liam, Niall, and Stan.  They sat silently for a minute.

“Weird,” Niall said, “Weird not having Zayn on the mound.”

Louis swallowed and almost choked at the words.  Stan lightly slapped him on the back. 

“True,” Liam said, glancing at Louis with a sympathetic smile. 

“That poor sod Oli…wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t such a poor sport, Jesus.”  Stan spoke what they were all feeling. 

Louis stood up and removed his face helmet but kept his sunglasses on.  “So…anybody want to go to Larry’s and get a hamburger?” 

Larry’s Burger’s was a local 50’s style deli that catered to students and tourists. The other three looked at each other.

“I’m game!”  Liam stood up.  “You want to ride with me Louis?  I’m driving”

Louis stared at him through his sunglasses, then glanced at Stan, who shrugged and waved his hand. 

“Ok, let’s go Payno.”

Louis had walked to the park with Stan, but he had a knowing feeling Liam had a reason for wanting to talk to him in private. 

“We’ll meet you there,” Niall called, “grab a table!”

They pulled out of the park, Liam easily maneuvering his Chevy Malibu out onto the busy main street.

“So…how you doing, Lou…you ok?”

“What is this, Liam, counsellor time?”

“Come on…I just asked a question.”

“What do you want me to say?  That I’m heartbroken because Zayn isn’t around to pitch to me anymore?  Yeah, it sucks, but that’s life, and it goes on.”

Liam stopped at a red light, and glanced at him.  “So….aren’t you heartbroken?  I mean…what kind of bullshit is that?  We all miss him, but you were like his best friend.  It’s ok to say you miss him.”

“Ok, Dr. McShrink, thank you for your five minutes of expertise.” Louis felt himself trembling as he continued to look out the window.  

Liam pulled through the intersection and turned right.  “You just seem very…I don’t know…like it’s hitting you harder than everyone else, but all day, the whole game, you act like it doesn’t matter.  I’m just letting you know I give a shit, ok?”

There was a thick cloud of tense emotion in the car as Liam drove the remaining few blocks to the burger deli.

“Ok, I appreciate that.”  Louis finally answered thinly.  He took a deep breath. “You just don’t get it….” He began and stopped, pushing down the emotion that threatened to break the dam.  “Nobody really gets it; it’s not just about Zayn.  But Zayn is gone so it doesn’t matter.”

Liam pulled into Larry’s parking lot.  “Ok…wow, what are you talking about?”

“Yes, I miss Zayn.” He answered almost angrily, but on a wave of tremble.  “Ok, are you happy now?  I miss Zayn…I miss me with Zayn.  That is the last baseball game I’m playing for a long time.  Shit.”

Liam looked at his face, eyes wide and searching.  Then he blinked and nodded, studied the dashboard, and looked out the windshield. 

“Thanks Liam…I know you’re just trying to help, Payno.“

Liam held out his hand saying, “slip me some,” and he slid his hand across in their signature brotherhood handshake.

“I guess this means you aren’t playing football again this year.”

Louis snorted.  “Nope…especially now that your coach is that Simon guy.  Besides, football was never really my thing.  Soccer, now…wish they had a soccer team.”

“I don’t blame you I guess…you didn’t get along with him very well when he umpired for us our sophomore year.”

They spotted Niall and Stan approaching down the street and Liam swung his car door open. 

“Didn’t get along?” Louis asked incredulously.  “Seriously, the man is a jackass.” 

“Well, you know I’m going to be going for a football scholarship this year to go to University.  I really need this...going to play my ass off!”

“Yeah, that would be so mint!  You ARE the star quarterback.  Simon may be a jackass, but he’d be an idiot not to recommend you.”

“Right!  I’ll try to stay on his good side.”

They both got out of the car. 

“Better you than me; you’re better at brown nosing than I am that’s for sure!”  Louis grinned at him, feeling some of the weight he had been carrying lift from his shoulders. 

“Hey!” Liam got him in a headlock and gave him a knuckle sandwich while Louis ducked away.

“What are you doing later tonight?”  Liam asked him as they walked towards the entrance.

“I….I think I’m going to be busy with something.  Promised mom I’d do something, can’t remember.”  He mentally crossed his fingers as he lied.

   

CHAPTER FOUR - CONFESSIONS

  


The sun was low in the sky as Louis pulled his bike out of their garage, hopped on, and started for the marina.  What was he even doing?  What was wrong with him?

Hanna had just called to say they had arrived at their destination in Jamaica that day and that it had been sunny and the beaches were beautiful and the water glorious.  She said she wished he were with her and he agreed that it sounded fantastic.  She wouldn’t be able to call much because of international charges, but would stay connected with him on social media.  She had sent him a picture on IG of her in her bathing suit on a beach.

So why was he so drawn to the little lighthouse in their little northern town instead of fantasizing about being in the Caribbean?  The temperature had dropped and the night air was starting to cool; he wore an open zip-up sweatshirt with the hood ties tied under his neck.  Still, he couldn’t bring himself to genuinely wish he was in Jamaica with Hanna; a fact that left him feeling a bit guilty.

As he turned right onto Lake Street, he tried to tell himself it had nothing whatsoever to do with Harry, his new acquaintance from the breakwater…nothing at all.  But he couldn’t deny that the closer he got to the marina, the stronger his anticipation grew at the prospect of running into him again.       

He peddled through the parking lot towards the bike rack, passing a few people on their way to their cars who were wrapping their outer garments tighter around themselves as a cool breeze blew off the lake.  Louis’ hair flew in every direction as he parked and locked his bike, and he zipped up his sweatshirt.

The sun rested just above the horizon, spreading its colors of orange, red and yellow across the sky through a scattering of clouds and reflecting on the water. A family of ducks swam by the area of the picnic tables, and there were a few people standing by feeding them from a bag of popcorn.

He looked up and down the walkway and headed towards the pier but saw no one familiar.  He turned around and looked in all directions but nobody was following him tonight.  Disappointment pinched him.  It was early, he told himself; the streetlight hadn’t turned on yet.  As he started walking along the pier, he jammed his hands in his pockets and almost wished he had worn his beanie hat.

He stopped for a minute just to look at the glorious sky.  To his left the shoreline was dotted by a beach of large stones that eventually flattened out creating a long peninsula of pure rock.  Louis knew from many years of experience that around the corner was a wide shoreline made of jagged rock with hills and dips that were a kid’s dream for exploring.  He decided to go back around and walk the peninsula while there was still light.

The place held many memories for him as he picked his way over the rocks, eventually coming to the base of the peninsula that required him to climb up a bit before getting to the plateau.  The panoramic view of the lake was impressive and did indeed give one the feeling they were looking out at the ocean.  The setting sun reflected on the water like fire, and out on the horizon was a large ore boat.

As he followed the long rock around the corner, the wide beach that went on for almost two city blocks came into view. He stopped short. 

There was a figure of a person standing a stone’s throw away with his back to him, facing the water.  The wind was even stronger here, and the individual had his hands jammed in his jacket pockets, the thick head of curls on his head whirling around, batting him in the face.         

Louis smiled wryly to himself from one side of his mouth as a happy little thrill buzzed through him.  He very quietly stepped over the rock, thanking the wind for helping to mask his approach, and tip toed up behind him.  On a whim, he brought his hands around and covered the eyes of Mr. Curly in a “guess who” gesture.

Harry froze and let out a chuckle. “Well…I’m pretty sure it’s not my mother; must be that annoying cheeky guy I met on the pier yesterday!”  He removed Louis’ hands from his eyes and turned around - keeping contact with one of Louis’ hands for an extra second before jamming both his own in his pockets.

They both stood and laughed at each other for a minute, Louis being unable to mute his wide smile.

“Huh, fancy meeting you here.” He tapped Harry’s chest with the back of his hand and jammed his hands in his own pockets; the one hand still tingled where Harry’s had lingered.

Harry shook his head.  “What a coincidence.”  His checks puffed out in a dimpled smile as he pressed his lips together to control it, but his eyes twinkled brightly, and Louis felt his chest fill with warmth in response.  The knowledge that they knew each had come hoping to run into the other hung in the air between them.

“Well,” Louis huffed out, stepping around Harry and walking closer to the water, “I see you have found Rock Point.”

“Is that the name of this place?” Harry stepped over some jutting rock and small pools of water as he made his own way to the water’s edge.

“Well, it’s the name the locals call it; it’s not on a map or anything.” He stopped on a wide, flat rock that jutted just over the water’s edge.  Harry stopped on a similar one a couple feet away.

“This place is really amazing…it’s breathtaking.”  Harry drew out the last couple words in a hushed awe as he looked at the water’s expanse and narrowed his eyes against the wind.

Louis tipped his head slightly just enough so he could sneak a look and watch his profile as he spoke.

“I mean…wow…I can’t believe I live here now.  I wish some of my friends back home could see it.  Gorgeous. Pictures don’t do it justice.”

Louis continued blinking at him and tried to ignore the feeling he was looking at a beautiful painting - the kind of painting that you couldn’t stop looking at, one that moved you internally, drew you in - it was quite alarming actually.   Harry glanced over at him and his jaw dropped slightly as he looked away in confusion.

Suddenly Harry threw his arms out to his side, tilted his head back, and shouted, “I’m the king of the worlllllld! Woo!”

Louis smirked and clapped his hands together once as Harry turned and grinned at him.  Then he cupped a hand above his eyes and made like he was looking out into the sea.  “I can see the statue of liberty already!” he attempted the same Italian accent as the infamous movie line.

They both giggled, and Harry lifted his thumb and pointer finger an inch apart against the sky and said, in his own attempt at Italian, “Very small of course!”

“I _loved_ that movie!” Louis said as they grinned at each other.

“One of my favorites.” Harry agreed.

The sun had slipped down below the horizon, but in the other section of sky the moon was rising and shone its bright beams out on the water.

“Hey!” Louis exclaimed and pointed out at the lake to Harry’s left.  “You can see a boat!”

Harry followed where he was pointing to.  “Where…?”

Louis stepped over the small pool of water to stand on the same rock with Harry.  “There,” he said, pointing again, and turning a little to look at the face of the painting that was now inches from his face.

Harry’s eyes shifted a little but they continued to search the horizon.  He swallowed tightly, then spotted the boat.  “Oh…..oh yeah, I see it.  That is a huge ship!  Just like the Titanic!”

Louis purposefully scrunched his face up “No, no, it’s not a _cruise_ ship!” he said with mild distain.  “It’s an ore boat!  See how long it is, but it’s only maybe two or three decks high?”

Harry was unflustered as he looked closer and then said calmly, “Oh yeah…I see what you mean.  So it’s a boat that carries…ore?”

“Yeah…they mine it upstate, then the train brings the ore to the loading docks you see across the bay.  The boats pick it up and take it all over the world actually to be made into steel.”      

“All that happens in this little town?” he turned to Louis and Louis felt a beam of pride in being able to share the story with someone unfamiliar it.

“Exactly!”

“I’m impressed.”

They exchanged a little smile, Louis finally pulling his eyes away and involuntarily glancing at Harry’s neck and on down to his shoes.  He quickly turned and said, “It’s getting dark; I suppose we should get off the beach.” He started walking, then looked over his shoulder saying, “watch your step.”

Harry followed, holding his arms out at various angles for balance when needed.  “So what’s on the other side of the beach?  Just trees?” he called to Louis.  

Louis knew the beach like the back of his hand, and was already a few yards ahead.  He stopped and turned.  “There’s actually a hiking path that goes around and follows the shore to the other side of town.  Sometimes you’ll see deer; they actually live in there I think.”

Louis waited for him to catch up, and Harry sped up a little, alternately glancing at Louis and hopping over the shallow dips looking for solid footholds in the dark.  A small divot got in the way of his foot, and he twisted his ankle and stumbled forward, bracing a fall with both hands.  He ended up on his bum rubbing his chafed hands together.  Louis was already at his side.

“Don’t I feel like a big idiot!” Harry complained, studying his hands to check for broken skin.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Louis exclaimed, reaching down a hand to help him up.  Harry reached back and used Louis’ shoulder for leverage as he stood up on his good foot.  “I’m the idiot.  Are you bleeding?”

“I don’t think so.”  He tested his other foot and winced but was able to put weight on it.

“Does it hurt to step on it?”

“A little, but I think I can walk; it’s not broken or anything.”

Louis continued to hold him steady.  “I don’t think you should put full weight on it just yet; my mom’s a nurse and I’ve had a few knocks myself.” Harry looked at him and searched his face.  “You can use my shoulder…after all, it’s really my fault; it’s the least I could do.”

Louis kept his left arm around Harry’s shoulders and Harry, with his right hand on Louis’ shoulder, guarded his right foot and they started out again.   

“It’s not your fault,” Harry answered him, “I was just trying to show off, and look where it got me.” As he finished his statement, a wide grin spread across his face in spite of himself. 

“What…” Louis asked dryly, looking at him sideways, noting his expression. 

Harry just shook his head, still smiling, watching his footing. 

“You were just trying to keep up with me,” Louis continued, “and I was steaming on ahead because...well, because I’m a silly rabbit.”

Louis looked over his left shoulder to Harry’s backside. 

“How’s your bum?” he heard himself asking.

“I think it’s fine.” Harry answered with mock seriousness

They both laughed, and Louis felt heat go up his cheeks.          

By the time they reached the pier, Harry’s foot felt good enough to put his full weight on it.  He tested it as they took a few more steps.

“I think I’m good now,” he said as he slid his arm off Louis’ shoulder. Louis gave the base of his neck a little squeeze. 

“You sure?”

There was a little pause as they made eye contact and Louis felt a little jolt go through him.  Harry didn’t even blink as he continued staring and his eyes darkened as his pupils invaded his green iris.  

Harry finally looked at his feet.  “I…” he took a couple firm steps.  “I think so, yes.”  His chest rose and fell as he breathed out.

 “Very good,” Louis answered, giving him a pat and sliding his arm off his shoulder.  He jammed his hands in his pockets, and they both silently started walking down the pier.

Harry finally asked, “Did you get in any kind of trouble?”

“Trouble…?”

“Yeah, you know, from last night?”

“Oh!”  Louis shook his hair and straightened his bang.  “No, it wasn’t a big deal.  Hannah…” he hesitated for a moment, “my girlfriend…she left for Jamaica early this morning with her family for ten days.  I talked to her on the phone before coming down here.  If Michael made a scene about it, Hanna didn’t care enough to say anything.”   

“That’s…good,” Harry answered, but his face was a question mark as he kept his eyes on the pier.  “Can I ask how long you’ve been seeing her?”

“This summer.”

They both walked a few more paces.

“So she was leaving for Jamaica this morning…and you left her last night to come down to the pier …?”

“Yeah.”

Harry hesitated, his expression a combination of continued puzzlement and slight amazement.  “Yet you told her you were tired?” His tone conveyed more wonderment than accusation.

“She had to get up early and everything,” Louis began quickly, “so me being the gentleman I am _of course_ I wasn’t going to keep her up all night.” He rolled his eyes sideways to Harry and saw that he was smiling.

“Of course, of course!” Harry spoke in a joyfully sarcastic tone of voice, a little grin on his face.

“And just what do you mean by that?” Louis asked in a suspiciously less than offended tone, and gave him a little shove.

“Oh…nothing,” Harry answered, giving him a shove back.   

Louis shoved him back a little harder.  “Don’t think I’m going easy on you because of your foot, either.”

Harry pushed him back with equal firmness and met with resistance, and they proceeded to engage in a push-me-push-you type battle.

“MY!” Louis grunted, “Your foot seems miraculously healed!”

“I suppose you think I faked it,” Harry boldly blurted, “just so I could lean on you!”

The statement caused Louis to briefly falter, his mouth open in shock, but then he pushed back harder than ever, and lowered his head close to Harry’s.

“Sure,” he spat out through clenched teeth as their eyes locked, “and I suppose you think I was just waiting for an opportunity last night to leave my girlfriend ‘cause I knew you would be here!”  This backhanded confession seemed to give him new energy, and he slowly succeeded in pushing harry back.

“Obviously!”  Harry shot back.  He lowered his head and pressed his crown to Louis’ chest in an effort to gain leverage.  He felt Louis’ cheek press against his ear.   “And I suppose you think….” he gasped with effort “… I suppose you think...”

They continued their vertical wrestling match and looked like a couple of sand crabs, until a bright white light shone on them.

“You knuckleheads are going to end up in the water!” a strong, authoritative voice called from the base of the pier.

They froze for a moment, then loosened their hold and backed off, straightening their jackets and watching each other catch their breath.  Louis glanced at the police officer who wielded a high-powered spot flashlight.

“Sorry officer…we were just having a little argument.” He looked back at Harry, who had an ever so small smile on his face.

“You one of the Tomlinson kids?”

Louis squinted at him.  “Officer Corden? Yes sir, it’s Louis.”

“Ah, Louis,” Officer James Corden began, his voice a bit friendlier, “my advice would be to argue somewhere a little safer.  I don’t have to tell you that the water is deep, freezing, and there are large rocks under there.”

“Right, right…I wasn’t thinking.”

“What about you?” officer Corden asked Harry with a little more seriousness.         

Louis loosely put one arm on Harry’s shoulder and gestured to him with the other.  “This is Harry…he’s new in town, I’m just showing him the ropes.”

“Ah, I see.  Must be the boxing ring ropes.  Nice to meet you Harry.  Welcome to Springdale!”

Harry gave a short wave.  “Thank you officer!”

Louis cleared his throat and smiled, “Yes, thanks officer Corden!” and gave a salute as the cop got into his squad car to continue his rounds.

Harry self-consciously kicked at the dirt.  “He seemed nice.  He knows you?”

“Yeah, he’s a good one.  And yes, I don’t know him personally exactly, but pretty much everybody knows everybody in this town…”

They looked at each other for a moment, then simultaneously started walking back towards the parking area.

“Well, I...”

“I suppose…”

They both started at the same time, then both said, “You go ahead” and laughed.

Louis then raised his hand, “You want to check out the trails sometime?  The ones I told you about earlier?”

Harry nodded, “Sure….you can be my official tour guild!”

Louis pulled out his cell phone.  “Um….do you text?  As your tour guild I need your phone number. What service do you use?”

“Verizon; here, let me put my number in for you.” He reached to take the phone, brushing his fingertips with Louis’, and punched in his number.  “Just text or call me and I’ll get yours.”

“Sweet!” Louis quickly added Harry to his speed dial list. “I work a full shift at Nelson’s Sporting goods tomorrow, but I…ah..am free the next day if you want.” He spoke quickly as he pocketed his phone. 

Harry smiled and nodded, his cheeks slightly pink. “Sure.  All right.” They arrived at the bike rack.

“Are you walking again?”

“We actually live only about eight blocks away by the park.”

“And your poor foot isn’t going to relapse on you?” Louis sarcastically whipped with a little sardonic grin as he unlocked his bike.

“You really think I faked that, don’t you?” Harry pointed at him as he started walking.  Louis walked his bike beside him for a few steps.

“Just as much as you think I really came down here just to find you.” 

He winked at him and hopped on his bike.  For more than a block, he rode up and down alongside Harry until Harry turned on First Street.  He coasted with no hands, shouted “Yo!” and made one last turn around Harry and noted his long, confident stride.  As they parted ways, Louis called after him, “Fake!  Fake fakety fake!”

“You did!” Harry called loudly at the disappearing Louis.  “You know you did!”   

 

CHAPTER FIVE -  TAKING ROOT 

 

Louis sat on a stool in the back of one of the isles at Nelson Brother’s Sporting Goods with a large box of individually packaged fishing line at his feet.  He was busy with a price tag gun, labeling each and setting them up on the shelf. 

It was a store that had been around for decades, the actual Nelson brothers now in their 80s.  The flooring was a dark hardwood that always seemed to need dusting, and the walls were a light green.  The only natural light came from floor to ceiling windows that graced the entire length of the front of the store.  

He could hear activity around the desk area as the other employee on duty, Oli Mandel, rang up customers on the cash register and bagged their purchases.

“Thanks!  Come again and have a great day!”

In addition to pitching for the baseball team, Oli was an acquaintance of Hanna’s brother Michael, who went to the community college on the edge of town.  Louis didn’t particularly enjoy sharing shifts with him.  For the moment, they were alone in the store.

Oli closed up the cash register and took a drink from his water bottle, wiping his hand across his mouth.  He had short, strawberry blond hair and a two-day old scruff growing on his lower jaw, and wore the company logo tee shirt.  He looked down the aisle at Louis.

“So…Louis.” He began, his gravelly voice loud enough for Louis to hear him.  “You know I’m friends with Michael Walker, right?”

Louis continued marking the merchandise, but his insides shifted.  “Yeah, what about it?” he answered without looking up.

“We were out last night, and you came up in the conversation.”

Louis felt heat go up the back of his neck.

“Yeah, well, I date his sister, so there’s probably a reason for that.” He immediately regretted his response.

“Right!  That was his point, actually.  But seems you were mushing around with some kid on the pier the other night.”

Louis clenched his jaw.  “It’s called having FUN, Oli; you should try it sometime.”

“Ohhh, touchy, touchy.  Michael and l got a laugh over that one.”

Louis continued his duties without looking up and groaned inwardly that he had four more hours of his shift.        

Oli looked out the front windows for a minute, then sat on the stool behind the counter and broke open a package of peanuts.  “You know, we were out kind of late, and we heard something else very interesting.”

Louis finally looked up, shaking his bangs to the side and boring holes into Oli’s face.  “I’m a little busy here Oli; why don’t you find something to do?”  The price tag gun started clicking a little faster.

Oli chewed on some peanuts and started talking again before swallowing.  “I’m on a break, there’s nobody here.”  He swallowed and took another drink of water.  “I just thought you would want to know…word on the street is that you aren’t ‘making it’ with Hannah.  You were friendlier with Zayn.  Michael is a little concerned…”

He grasped the price tag gun so hard his knuckles turned a shade of white.

“I don’t know where you get your information, but if Michael is talking to you about his sister like that, he’s nothing to write home about.  Besides, it’s none of your darn business _.”_

“I’m done, I’m done,” he raised his hands in surrender.  “Just trying to do you a favor and keep you in the loop.”

The door opened and a group of customers walked in.

Oli approached the counter, smiling.  “Good morning!” he called out cheerfully.  “Let me know if I can help you with anything.”

Louis took a deep breath and tried to still his shaking hands.  “I’ll help YOU Oli” he muttered silently, “help you right to your grave.” 

As irritating as Oli was, however, the fact that someone was talking about the very things he had been privately stewing about caused the alarm bells in his head to go off at an astronomical rate.

Who was talking about them? 

 

Four hours later, he had never been so happy to be done with a shift.

“Have a lovely evening Tomlinson” Oli called to him as he left.

“Fuck off!” Louis answered as the door swung shut behind him, and he started briskly walking down the street.  Most of the time he walked to work because it was relatively close to home, and he was particularly happy about that today.  

He passed the local VFW, where a few patrons were standing in front of the building smoking.  He walked up to a woman dressed all up in biker gear.

“Can I bum a smoke…please?”

She looked at him and blew a smoke ring.  “You look too young…but you’re cute.”  She pulled out a cigarette, handed it to him, and offered a light.  “Do me a favor and don’t send your friends over here, ok?  I don’t want to get busted.”

He inhaled deeply and blew his own smoke ring.  “No problem…thank you.” He nodded and continued walking.  He occasionally borrowed a smoke when he was feeling stressed, though he didn’t consider himself a smoker and had never bought his own.

He pulled his phone out and passed through the numbers on his speed dial, pausing at Harry’s.

******

“This really is a beautiful little town, isn’t it?” the lovely brunette woman asked her son Harry as she placed a hot pizza on the table next to a Caesar salad and sat down.  Harry grabbed a bottle of Coke from the fridge.

“My favorite part so far is the Lake.” He poured the bubbly into ice-filled glasses.  “Gorgeous down there.”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time by the marina.”

“I can’t seem to help myself,” he said with a smirk and joined her.

His mother used her fork to cut off a bite of the steaming pie.  “Oh yes, Mr. Ed Sheeran from the music department at the school called.  The postings for the choir will be up next week.  He reminded me that since you’re a transfer in, there may be those who might complain that you would be taking a spot from someone local.  But he also said he believes in signing those most likely to benefit the choir, regardless of circumstance.  I like him!”

“Oh…mom, of course I’d hate to bump someone who has lived here forever.   I figured I would just be replacing one of last year’s seniors.”

“That’s a great way to see it too.  I think Mr. Sheeran was just…keeping things exciting.  I can’t imagine them not wanting you.”

“I just love music; I hope it’s a way to meet people too.” He took a long drink from his Coke.

“You will…and they will all love you!”  She kissed his forehead.

He felt his phone vibrate, then the ringtone chimed.  He wiped his hand on the napkin and pulled it out.  The number was unknown, but the area code was local.  A nervous smile grew on his face and he pressed the talk button.

“Hello?”    

A familiar but distorted voice answered him from the other end in a high-pitched vibrato.

“Yes, hello, this is the Springdale Tomlinson Tour Guild service, and I understand you will be needing our services tomorrow?”

His mother just heard squawking, and she knitted her eyebrows at him in question.

“Yes, this is true,” Harry answered with a wide grin, dimples popping.

“Fine, how long will we be needed and what would you like to see?  We have a whole list of amazing sights and places of beauty.”

Harry’s eyes glistened.  “I hear there are some lovely trails up the shore; we could start there, but whatever you suggest after that I’ll leave to your judgment….and how were you expecting to be compensated for your services?”

His mothers’ smile wrinkled and she raised an eyebrow.

Laughter rang from the other end of the phone.

“I’m sure your company will be compensation enough, but we can discuss the details later.”

“Fine.  When and where?”

“I suggest meeting at the marina lamp post at 10am tomorrow.  Oh, and might I add be prepared to swim.”

“What?”

“I said, be prepared to swim please.”

“Sounds intriguing, but ok. I’ll expect to see you at 10am sharp!”   

“Yes sir, we at Springdale Tomlinson Tour Services aim to please.  We look forward to seeing you at 10 am tomorrow!”

Harry saved the number as “Mr. Cheeky,” and put his phone away.  His mother studied him with an open mouth smile.  “What in the world what that all about?” she asked.  “And why do you look so happy about it?”

Harry picked up a piece of pizza.  “Oh…speaking of meeting people, I’ve already met someone who will be in the senior class with me.  He’s kind of a sassy nut, but really nice.  He’s showing me around tomorrow.”

“Wow, that’s great!  Where did you….meet him?”

Harry smiled.  “The marina…under the lighthouse.”  
  


 

“So….mom, can I have the car today?”

Louis’ mother watched him as he sipped coffee and bit off a bite of fried egg.  He seemed lighter, and given recent circumstances, she was happy to see it.

“Last minute plans?”

“Welp…I kind of met this guy who is new in town, and I told him I’d show him around.”  He kept his eyes on his plate as he mopped up the last off the egg yolk with his toast.

“Oh…recently?  Where did you meet him?”

“Down at the marina.”

She studied him for a minute, the wheels in her head turning. 

“Hmmm…well, I don’t need the car today so you’re welcome to it.” 

“Thanks mom, you’re the best!” He drank down his orange juice.

“That’s great you met a new friend.  Will he be in school with you or…?”

“He and his mother moved here from Arizona.  He’ll actually be a senior with me this year.”  He got up from his chair to go.

“Wow, that’s….dishes, Louis, please. “

He retrieved them and placed them in the sink on his way to go brush his teeth.

“Hey…”

Louis turned to look at her directly, his eyes bright, but expression slightly sheepish.  She searched his face.

“Have you spoken to Hanna since she left?” she asked lightly.  She watched as a dark little cloud passed over his face.

“Ya,” he said, turning away again, “She called the other day – said she was having a great time.”

“Well…” she came up behind him and gave him a close hug.  “…you enjoy yourself today.”  

 

When he pulled the car up and parked close to the lamppost, Harry was leaning against it.  He wore swim trunks that came to his knees and a neon-green tank top.  On his feet were full coverage water shoes, and around his neck a terry-cloth towel.  A pair of dark sunglasses covered his eyes.

“You really came prepared to swim!”  Louis called as he walked up to him.

“Hey, I took you seriously – and you have a car!”

“Every proper tour guild has one!” he grinned.  “I also have a little cooler with drinks.” 

“Wow…class A tour guild.”

“So, do you want to start with the trail here?  Just put your towel in my car.” 

Louis led the way to the trail head which took them through a wooded area. 

“This whole place used to be nothing but wooden boat houses, with only one wooden dock.  There was even a bordello house with saloons, etcetera ….quite scandalous!”

“You’re quite the historian!”

They began their hike along a narrow dirt path that took them up and down hills, tree branches occasionally brushing their shoulders.

“Watch that branch, Harry.”

Occasionally the trees broke and the Lake with its rocky shore came into view.  Motor boats could be seen and heard as well as a few sails.  Eventually the trail wound around a small rocky canyon.  Louis stopped and pointed down.

“This place is good for salamanders.  As a kid my best friend Stan and I spent hours turning rocks and collecting them…poor little guys, haha.”

Harry smiled at him. “I can just picture it.”

Louis led the way up the trail, and his curvy little waist dipped and turned above his rounded back end as they climbed up and down the hills.  Harry looked down and tried to keep his eyes on the path, the knot between his eyes growing with every step.

Gravel changed to pavement as the path came to an open picnic area scattered with tables and little outdoor cement grills.

“Hey, we are at the park,” Harry stated.  “We live just a couple blocks up.”

“Nice!”

They passed through another open wooded area which ended in another long, rocky peninsula that jutted out into Lake Royal. They walked to the end of it, the now near noon-day sun beating down on them.  
“Amazing!” Harry took in the panoramic view.  He bent down to feel the water.  “Brrr!” he exclaimed, pulling his hand back and wiping it on his trunks. “It’s ice cold!”

“Lake Royal is always freezing.  Once in a while with a wind shift it’s swimmable, but that’s rare.”

Harry put his hands on his hips and got into Louis’ face.  “And you made me wear swim trunks!”   

Louis patted his cheek. “So here’s part two.  We go back to the car and I take you a couple miles up shore to Buster Creek where there are awesome swim holes.”

Harry smiled a bit shyly.  “You really have this all planned out.”

“Sure!  Tomlinson Tour guilds are always the best.”  He slapped him on the shoulder and they made their way back to the car.

 

Louis sat on a large fallen log a few feet from the river, and started removing his hiking sneakers; Harry followed close behind and sat next to him, keeping his water shoes on.  They had hiked from the car down a steep embankment along the river to a place where its edge widened into a large, deep pool.

“OMG, I can’t wait to get into the water,” Harry said as he pulled his shirt off over his head and shook out his curls.

“I’m gonna dunk you, you know that don’t you!” Louis said as he pulled his own shirt off, then found himself turning and briefly eyeing Harry from his curly head all the way down to his glistening, smooth, bare waist, trying to ignore the pleasant feelings it created.

As he looked back up he noticed Harry doing the same, and their eyes met for a moment.  The feelings in his chest exploded and travelled all the way to the tips of his toes.  Without thinking, he reached over and sunk his fingers deep in the curls of Harry’s hair, letting his hand fall down off the back of his head.  He looked at his fingers. 

“God, I got them all the way down to my second knuckle,” he said with a smile as he looked back at Harry.  Harry stared back at him, his eyes widening as he licked his lips and swallowed.  Louis felt his cheeks suddenly go pink.

“I had to you know, before I dunk you” Louis explained, shaking off the fact that his pulse had started to quicken. Harry blinked, his green eyes breaking away to look at the water, but not before glancing down Louis’ chest briefly once more.           

“You have to catch me, first,” Harry teased as he suddenly stood up to hobble over the narrow stone beach to get to the water. 

Louis splashed after him, and before Harry could make the plunge, he placed his hands on his head and pushed him all the way under, laughing and swimming away to dunk under water himself before Harry could reciprocate.

When he came to the surface, Harry was in front of him and proceeded to dunk Louis under anyway.  Louis came up sputtering and laughing.  Harry treaded water in front of him.

“Just ‘cause you have a wet head, doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to pay you back!”

“You are the little shit, aren’t you?”

They both treaded water, Louis shaking his wet bangs to the side as he watched the water drip down Harry’s face, eyelashes and drooping wet curls.  He spit water drops from his lips.

“They always say payback’s a bitch…” Harry began, but couldn’t finish as Louis sprang forward and got him in a headlock, using his other hand to give him a knuckleballer, furiously treading water to stay on the surface.  Harry struggled a moment, then Louis felt fingers attacking his rib cage, and he had to let go as he cried out with laughter, and finally went under, and swam beneath the surface a few feet.

He popped up again to see Harry swimming the breast stroke down the center of nature’s pool.  After a minute Harry stopped and turned around, treading water, a mischievous smile on his face.

“You are going to regret that…” Louis called after him, “…like you said, payback is a bitch!”

“Looking forward to it!” Harry answered and stuck out his tongue, turning again to swim towards the opposite shoreline, where there were some flat rocks jutting out of its banks.  

Louis swam after him until the water got shallow, then they both climbed up the bank and found a space on the flat rock to dry off and sun themselves.  For a moment they both sat, hands supporting their upper bodies behind them and caught their breath.

Harry turned to him with a wry grin.  “Well?”

“Oh no…” Louis wagged his finger at him.  “Payback is going to come when you least expect it!”

Harry gave a short laugh, and closed his eyes smiling into the sun.  “God, that felt good…the sun feels great now.”

“You realize we are going to have to get wet again to get back on the trail.”

“I’m going to just let the sun bake me when we get back to the car.” Harry spoke without opening his eyes.  “Gonna swim again for sure; I could stay out here all afternoon.”

Louis found himself staring at his new friend’s long, wet torso as it rose and fell with his breathing.  The sun had already started drying his skin, but water still dripped off his swim trunks, back, and arms, the muscles in his biceps flexing as they held up his upper body.  While this was a great opportunity to pay Harry back for tickling him underwater, the rock they were on was too hard for that…he didn’t have the heart to disturb him.

As if on cue, Harry suddenly opened his eyes to find Louis watching him.  Louis smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders.

“Don’t even think about it…”Harry grinned

“You don’t know what I was thinking.”  Louis smirked and raised his eyebrows.

Harry breathed through his open mouth for a beat and then felt his groin stir.  “Jesus,” he mumbled, as he turned over to lay on his stomach.  “Thanks a lot!”

Louis hugged himself, leaned over, and laughed loudly and heartily, pausing only to ask “Hey, what are friends for?” Then lay on his back to laugh some more, until he paused a moment and rolled over on his own stomach, putting his face on his arms and giggling. “Yeah, thanks a lot idiot!” 

They sunned themselves on the rock in silence for several minutes, then Louis cleared his throat.  “So…you must miss your friends back home.”

There was a pause.  “I do,” he answered quietly.

“You, ah…mentioned someone special.” Louis remarked casually.

“Oh…yeah…”

“Like….a girl friend?”

“Well…sort of I suppose.”

They were quiet for a few more minutes.

“Must be hard.” Louis continued.

“It’s a bit complicated.”

“So…not serious?”

Harry turned his head and they glanced at each other.

“Sorry,” Louis said quickly, “I don’t mean to invade your _space_.”  He grinned; Harry grinned back and quoted Louis back to him.  “You can…I mean you didn’t…I mean, it’s ok!”

They both chuckled.

“I suppose if it had been serious, I would have stayed with my sister in Arizona.”

“Good point.” Louis replied, and thought of Zayn.  “Very good point.”

“So…” Harry hesitated, “you must be missing your friend who moved away.”

“Yeah…” Louis answered, a bit stunned.  “But…it’s complicated.”

They stared at each other for a beat, then Harry turned, stood up, and faced the water.

“Time to swim again; it’s hot!”

“Ahhhh!” Louis shouted as they hit the water.

**************

By the time they got back to town, hair damp and sunburnt, it was close to dinner time.

“This day wouldn’t be complete without patronizing “Larry’s Burgers” for a hamburger.”  Louis said as he pulled onto the highway.

“I don’t have any cash on me,” Harry hung his arm out the open window.  “I’m hoping to find a part time job somewhere soon.”

“No worries.  You can pay me back when you come into the money.  You have to get a burger at Larry’s.  They have the best, and their shakes are great.”

“Ok, when you put it like that.  Do they have any music stores around here?”

“Music stores?”

“I’d love to get a job in a music store.”

“Well, hey,” Louis exclaimed, and turned the radio on, flipping to his favorite channel.  Green Day’s “Time of Your Life” came on and burst through the speakers.  “You should try to get into the choir.”

“Actually, I did audition.  I’m waiting for the list to come out.”

“Sweet!  I’ve been in the school choir since eighth grade.”

“Me too.”

“Haha!” Louis laughed, like it just figures, he thought to himself.  He started singing along with Green Day and Harry joined him, their voices blending nicely with the band and the music.  They pulled into Larry’s parking lot as the song ended, and they grinned widely at each other.

“Shit, aren’t WE good!” Louis laughed, and raised his hand in a high five.  Harry pressed his hand to his and grinned as they lowered their hands together.  Warmth settled between them, both smiling shyly and climbing out of the car.

“I’m telling you, you’ll love these burgers,” Louis draped his arm loosely across his shoulders, and the little bell above the door rang as they entered.

 

An hour later, their table was covered with empty wrappers and used napkins.  Louis took his thumb and wiped the corner of his mouth, licking a stray drop of ketchup from the end of it as they sipped their shakes.

“This has been the best day,” harry said, watching him.  “Thank you.”

“So…” Louis rubbed his hands together with a sly expression.  “About that compensation…”

Harry laughed.  “There’s always a catch.”

The bell above the door rang out loudly.  Their table was close to the door, so Louis couldn’t help but notice when Michael Walker and Oli walked in and approached the order counter.  He resisted the sudden temptation to hide behind his menu, and instead sat up straight and caught Michael’s eye as he scanned the room for a table.

Louis smiled big, raised his eyebrows, and waved.  Harry turned to see who it was, then looked back at Louis.

Michael did a double take, then narrowed his eyes; he didn’t wave back.  Oli had a grin on his face.

“Isn’t it a shame he didn’t go on vacation with the family?” Louis mumbled under his breath to Harry.

“We keep running into him.” Harry searched Louis with a thoughtful expression.

“You know what?” Louis asked hypothetically.  “Who gives a rip?”

Michael and Oli gave their orders, took a number, and made their way to them as they waited for their meal.

“So, another party?” Michael asked sarcastically.

“Boys,” Louis began, wiping his hands together, “I’d like you to meet my friend Harry who just moved to town from Arizona.   I’m showing him around.  Harry, this is Hanna’s brother Michael, and this,” he motioned with his thumb, “is Oli.” 

He then proceeded to finish his shake in one big slurp as he eyed them.

Harry lifted his hand.  “Hello.”

Michael nodded, but spoke to Louis.  “Glad to see you are able to enjoy yourself while my sister is gone.  And here she thought you may be lonely and miserable without her.” 

Oil snorted.

“Why would she want that, Michael?” Louis answered with exaggerated offence.  “I don’t think you give her enough credit.”  Harry watched him with widening eyes.

“Please spare me!  I know you’re just trying to be a smart ass!”

“No,” Harry spoke up, unable to stop himself, “I’m sure he means that.”

Oli smirked.  “Honestly, aren’t you two just adorable?”

Louis loudly placed his cup on the serving tray.  “Harry, suddenly I have a bad case of indigestion.”

“I’m finished,” he answered, and they both stood to leave.

Michael and Oli’s number was called and they moved away.  “Go find some Pepto-Bismol!” Michael called over his shoulder.

They were quiet as they walked back to the car.

“Sorry.”  Harry finally said as they got in.

 “What the hell do you have to be sorry about?  They’re both assholes.” he looked to Harry with his jaw flexed.

They sat in silence for a moment, then Louis started the car.

“Do you have more time?  I feel like we need our pallets cleansed before calling it a day.”

“Sounds good.”

“I have one more spot to show you, but we have to drive a few miles up the shore.”

“Great…we can find more songs to sing to.”

”That’s the spirit!”

They spent the next ten minutes singing along to The Allman Brothers’ “Soulshine” and The Beatles “Hey Jude,” their spirits lifting as the combination of their vices blended out through the open windows.  As Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” came on, Harry piped joyfully, “Oh, I love that song!”

Louis smiled slyly, his eyes mischievous, and turned the volume way down.  They sang the song nearly a cappella, both knowing all the words.  When the song finished, there was a silent rush in the car, and Louis smiled as he shut the radio off and pulled into a small parking lot. 

“Wow,” Harry grinned widely at Louis.  “That was amazing!”

“Damn, we sound good if I do say so.”  He raised a fist and Harry reciprocated, both doing a fist bump.

They got out and Louis led the way to a pedestrian path alongside a section of highway that also posed as a bridge.   A chest-high metal tube rail fence protected onlookers from falling into the river that flowed below. 

The sound of rushing water hit their ears, and as they came to the middle of the bridge, a beautiful waterfall came into view which cascaded from a high cliff and tumbled over a gorge of rocks to the bottom.  Its powerful flow continued under the highway and on to eventually empty into Lake Royal.

“Introducing Choke Cherry Falls on Choke Cherry River.” Louis extended his arm in front of him and swept it across their view.  “It’s a hot spot for tourists of course; a must see for anyone visiting the area.”

“Gorgeous!”  Harry breathed, and grasped the rails to bend over and watch the river flow under the bridge, then straightened up to gaze at the falls.  “I keep using that word, but it fits so well!”

Louis watched him, with one hand on the rail and the other jammed in his pocket.  “Agreed,” he stated.  In his next breath, he moved a step closer to Harry and leaned his forearms on the rail, his right arm lightly brushing Harry’s.

“Sometimes people swim down there, but a lot of people have gotten seriously hurt on the rocks, so they have pretty strict rules now.  Such a great spot, though.  There’s a campground at the mouth of the river...showers and everything.”

Harry glanced at Louis, but Louis kept his eyes on the falls.  The sun sunk low in the sky, its rays teasing in and out between tree branches and dancing across Choke Cherry River.

“I’ll say it again,” Harry began, looking back at the scene in front of him, “this has been the best day!  You sure know how to make a guy feel welcome.”

“Well…I wasn’t very welcoming the first day you met me.”

“That’s only because you were….your friend had just moved away.”

Louis blinked but said nothing.

“Then…then your girlfriend left.”

Louis leaned back and tightly gripped the rail.  The sound of the water was loud in their ears, and the mist at the bottom of the falls rose into the rays of the evening sun.    

“I probably said too much again…” Harry started apologizing.

“No…it’s ok…I just…” he exhaled loudly.  “We should probably head back.  Mom may be wondering about the car.” 

“Oh, Sure.”

They silently walked back to the car and got in, and Louis put the keys in the ignition.  He sat for a minute with his hand on it, but didn’t start the car.  He leaned back and turned to Harry.

“As long as we’re on the subject of girlfriends,” he laughed dryly, making a three-quarter turn and resting his arm on the back of the seat, “have you ever had a serious one?  Girlfriend, that is?” 

Harry looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and embarrassment.  “Define serious.”

“Well…you know…,” Louis laughed nervously, looking away.  “Sorry, dumb question!”

“No…not dumb.” He answered, not taking his eyes from Louis.  “I’ve dated some girls; they always chased me on the playground.” He smiled weakly.

“Ha!” Louis raised his eyebrows up and down once at the falls.

“But to answer your question,” Harry continued, “it never seemed to really get to the place where I…” he struggled to finish his thought.  “I took a girl to the prom last year.  Was supposed to be a friend thing, but she wanted to take me to 'Blueberry Hill;' so I went, but I didn’t exactly find my thrill.”

He smirked sideways and Louis grinned back at the pun, but as their gazes held, Louis suddenly had the feeling it really wasn’t meant as a joke.  For a brief moment the intensity of their stares bore into each other’s souls, and Louis literally couldn’t breathe.   He pulled his eyes away and turned to grip the steering wheel. 

“I, ah…sort of know what you mean.” He found himself saying, and quickly started the car. 

He felt Harry’s stare as he pulled out, but neither said anything more and they drove down the highway.

 Louis reached to turn the radio on, and joked, “Now, if the song “Blueberry Hill” is playing, I SWEAR to god…!”  Harry laughed nervously backed at him.

Louis flipped on the dial, and the speakers filled the car with The Rolling Stones’ “Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”  They both burst out in loud, spontaneous cackling, and began singing along.  Their voices weren’t a pretty blend, but a loud, joyous, cathartic shouting that carried through the open windows.    

  

CHAPTER SIX – THUNDER

  


Looking over her notes one last time, High School Principal Anne-Marie Thompson prepared to start the late-summer prep meeting for teachers and faculty.  Starting the year off on the right foot was a priority, and these meetings were frequently a challenge.  She always managed, however, to corral things to her satisfaction, and this year would be no different.

She pulled out her compact to check her appearance one last time, and added a dollop of powder to her nose.  Before shutting the compact mirror, she pressed a manicured hand to her neatly coiffed blond hair to ensure it stayed adequately in place.

Shoving the notes in her black, leather bound folder, and sealing it with a loud snap, she marched out of her office and down the short hallway to the small conference room.   The sharp tapping of her high-heeled shoes echoed down the hall.

The conference room had one long, slightly oval table with seating for approximately twenty people.  There were nearly as many people gathered waiting for the meeting to start, most of them dressed in office-casual clothing, a few lined up at the refreshment cart getting refills of their coffee.  There were no windows, the only light source being harsh, fluorescent bulbs.

“Well, another summer bites the dust,” one middle aged man with grey hair at the temples said to the younger one in front of him filling his Styrofoam cup.  The young man turned around, his fresh, ruddy complexion glowing as he smiled and stirred creamer in his coffee.

“Technically it’s not over yet,” he replied pleasantly.

“Ah, young Mr. Ed Sheeran, you haven’t been around long enough to know that summer always ends with Principle Thompson’s meeting.” He ended with a mirthless chuckle, and poured his own cup.

“Haha…we’ll see, Mr. Burk,” the young man laughed.   

They moved away from the coffee table.  “So…Ed…I’m glad to see you decided to come back after your initiation year.  You did great things with the choir last year...fresh new ideas.”

“Thank you so much!”

They both heard shoes clacking down the hallway towards the door.

“Here we go!” the older gentleman raised his eyebrows and moved to his seat.

Ed Sheeran lifted his cup in a toast, “Cheers!” 

An hour into the meeting, any anticipation brewing prior to it had dwindled to a polite but tiresome resignation and longing for the other side of the door.     

“Gentlemen and ladies….I don’t need to remind you how important it is to conform to the solid, time-proven curriculum this school has delivered over the last few years.  While creativity is to be admonished, and keeping up with current trends a must, we will not be rewriting according to whims.”

She sat at the head of the table and looked around the room at the nodding heads.  She knew those who were solidly in her corner and those who were totally playing the game.  There were also those who challenged her within limits, and she had a begrudging respect for them.  Those who openly challenged her repeatedly didn’t last long.

She glanced at the young man with ginger hair several seats down whose politeness was irrefutable, but he was new last year.  She wasn’t sure which category he fit into, and that bothered her.

Sitting to her left representing sports was Simon Cowell, who had worked his way up through the ranks from referee to Football Coach.  This year he would enjoy another promotion to the head of the sports department.  He was definitely in her corner, hence said promotion, but he was very sly about it; his jaw was set in a hard line as he listened.         

“Now,” she continued, “Moving on to Liberal Arts.”  She flipped to another section of notes.  “I am proud that this school has been able to maintain its Arts and Music programs.  There will be another meeting for specifics of these departments, but I would like to address the music program for a moment.”  She looked pointedly at the ginger choir director. 

“Mr. Sheeran, first congratulations on completing your first year at Springdale High.  Both the Christmas and Spring concerts last year were wonderful. ”

“Thank you!” he smiled and nodded, and there were agreeing smiles and nods to him from the other faculty.

She looked down at her notes.  “I see you have completed your auditions and now have a list of students that will be posted tomorrow.  Very good.” She looked back up at him. “There is a name of a senior on the list, however – Harold Edward Styles.  He is a transfer from out of state; we normally don’t encourage that.  I understand there is no precedent for you on this, but it would have been preferable had you double checked before auditioning the young man.”

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a beat and Mr.Burk ground his teeth and crossed his arms.

“I do apologize for any miscommunication Principal Thompson.  I wasn’t aware there was a policy in place regarding this.”

She twirled a pen between her two hands.  “There isn’t a specific policy, but there _is_ a clause that leaves room for the discretion of heads of departments to do what is best for the student body.” 

“I reassure you that this young man deserves to spend his senior year in the choir.  He comes highly recommended from his previous school, and his audition was exquisite; his contribution will definitely be of benefit to the student body.”

Anne Marie smiled a wide, tight-lipped smile.  “I’m sure you are right about that.  But I’m sure you also know that the choir represents our community - we don’t know anything about his background.”

Ed Sheeran maintained a calm, respectful demeanor.  “He was one of the nicest, most polite young men I’ve had the pleasure to meet - his mother as well - and while my experience is limited so far, he had one of the best auditions I’ve ever heard.  Personally, that’s all I need to know.” 

There was a brief pause in the room.

Principal Thompson studied him with an unreadable expression.

“Well, Mr. Sheeran, I will trust your judgment on this one, but in the future I would appreciate these type of decisions to be cleared with me.” She ended with a smile.

Simon nibbled on the end of his pen and exchanged a tiny glance with her.

“Of course.” Ed replied, nodding, his smile fixed.  “It might interest you to know, though I find this information somewhat irrelevant to the subject at hand, that the young man’s mother has taken a position as editor of The Tide Tribune.”

She froze for a moment.  “I wasn’t aware that Dan Wootten had given up his position.  Very Interesting.  I find this very relevant, thank you for the information.”

He nodded, and she looked down at her notes.

“Now…about the scholarship programs….continuing with the theme of community representation, it is extremely important that in addition to academic excellence and need, good standing in the school and community is essential.  Please keep that in mind.  Do we have any indication of possible applicants in any department?”

Simon raised his pen, looking at his notes.

“Yes, Mr. Cowell?”

He smiled up at her.

“As you know, I coached the football team last year and I am aware of at least two coming seniors who will be applying for scholarships.”

“Wonderful – can you elaborate?”

“First of all, we have Sheldon Maki, a first class linebacker; any college would love to have him.  He is also on the track team and has made the dean’s list.  He has never been truant in any area, and his parents are both involved in community education, his father being a Forman with the railroad.

“Next is Liam Payne, a starting quarterback and an excellent player who is also on the baseball team.”  He paused, flipping the pen in his fingers and studying his notes.  “His father works on the railroad and his mother is secretary at the court house.  He is in a long-standing relationship with Rachel Sims, who is on the debate team.  Her father is a dentist, Dr. Sims on First Avenue.  Liam has generally been a student in good standing.”

He looked up.  “Two worthy candidates, though there may be others applying as well.”

She smiled and took a deep breath.  “Thank you!  Commendable knowledge of the candidates, and this is just the sort of thing we are talking about for future reference.”

She looked around the room, letting her gaze stay on Ed Sheeran for just a brief second.

“Are there any questions so far?”

A few people squirmed in their seats, and then Mr. Burk raised his hand.

She set her mouth in a thin line.  “Yes, Mr. Burk?”

“I happen to know one or two academic applicants who are excellent students, but their family background isn’t as neat and tidy as the ones that have been mentioned.  I’m sure you don’t mean to say that this should be held against them, so I just wanted to clarify that for those who may be wondering.”  

She looked at him intently, inwardly seething, but maintaining her outer decorum.

“Of course, all worthy students will be given equal opportunity to apply for scholarships Mr. Burk, but in the event of all other things being equal, we have to have a standard for decision making regarding what else stands them apart.  Does this clarify things for you?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“All right then, moving on….”

  

Later that afternoon, Principal Thompson returned to her office, tossed her binder on her desk, and sat down to reach for her land phone.  She punched in the personal cell number for Dan Wootten, former editor of the Tide.  When she got his voicemail, she thought to herself, “miserable little coward,” and waited for the beep.

“Ah, yes, Dan,” she dripped honey into the speaker, “I was so disappointed to learn _in our meeting_ this morning that you will no longer be editor for The Tide.  I would have appreciated a heads up given how helpful you have been to us in the past.  Please call me back at your earliest convenience.  Thank you!”

She let the handle drop loudly onto its cradle, and sat with her palm under her chin, tapping her pointer finger on her cheek bone.

“I bet I never hear from him again.” She thought with disgust. “They probably finally fired him, though he has been very useful to me.”

She needed to find out more about this new student, whose mother she would no doubt need to forge a relationship with.  Perhaps this could be a good thing. 

“Anne Marie,” she sighed to herself, “you were made for bigger and better things.”

 

CHAPTER SEVEN - THREAT

  


Harry made his way down the empty hallway of the school corridor looking for the music room.  Odd that these would soon be the halls where he would spend his senior year of high school, rubbing shoulders with hundreds of complete strangers.  The school was much smaller than the one he came from; could he totally be himself and be accepted here?

He and Louis had spent the last several days together, and though Louis had mentioned a few of his friends as he showed him around town, it had always been just the two of them.  He hoped Louis’ friends would like him.

He followed a trail of signs that led him to the large double doors of the music room, and spotted the posting of the list of students who had passed the auditions for the choir taped to the glass window.

“Please let my name be on this list” he thought to himself as he took a deep breath and stepped forward. 

Lifting a finger to the baritone section, he ran it down each name, looking for his own, and then stopped at Harry Edward Styles.  He raised both hands in a double fist pump looking up to the ceiling and exclaimed in a loud whisper, “YES,” and did a little joyful jig.

He turned back quickly and looked at the tenor section, and his dimples popped when he found Louis Tomlinson’s name.  A warmth settled in his chest and a little bundle of nerves tickled his stomach.

He heard voices coming down the near stairwell, one of which was unmistakable.

“What are you talkin’ about, Niall!” Louis’ distinct sassiness echoed all the way down to the music room.

“There’s no way you would not be on that list is all I’m saying, come on, you know it!”

“I’m always just a little nervous, because you never know!  Mr. Sheeran may decide I stink.”

They both came down the stairs and around the corner and stopped as they saw Harry, who stood with a smile on his face and a thumbs up.

“Harry!” Louis shouted, and grabbed Niall by the arm to drag him forward.  “Does this mean you made the list?”

“Yeah!” he shouted back, deciding his whisper was unnecessary.

Louis released Niall’s arm and spontaneously sprang forward to give Harry a joyful bear hug, swinging him left and right.  Harry hugged him back, laughing.

Louis stepped back lightly slapping his shoulders.  “That is so mint!  You are going to have a blast!  Hey….” He led him by the arm over to Niall, who had a big questioning grin on his face.  “Niall, this is Harry Styles, the guy I told you about who moved here from Arizona.  He’s going to be a senior with us.  Harry, this is Niall Horan, one of my good buddies.”

Harry reached forward to shake hands, and Niall slapped it in a high five.  “Great to finally meet you!  Any friend of my crazy friend Louis is a friend of mine!”

“Same!”  Harry turned to Louis.  “So…” he smiled, “are you going to check the list for _your_ name?”

Niall turned to laugh at Harry, “I know, right?”

“Right!” Louis elbowed Niall and approached the door.  “Come on, Nialler!”  He then glanced over his shoulder and said to Harry, “Like you didn’t already look for my name the minute you found yours!”

Harry just stood smiling, his eyes shining at him.

Louis and Niall quickly found their names and did a shout out.

“Let’s find Payno…” Louis quickly searched the list.  “Bingo!”

He put an arm around each of the other two and started walking down the hall, the end of which housed the doors to the gym lockers.  They didn’t notice the man who walked through them.

“This is going to be the best year.”  Louis said excitedly, looking between them.  “Some people talk shit about choir, but what do they know.  It’s a blast!  Can’t wait for the choir trip.”  He turned from Niall to Harry with a wide smile, the joy of the moment on his face, and raised his hands to pinch him on the cheeks. “You have to go in on the hotel with us, Harry.”

Harry giggled at the unexpected gesture and backed up half a step, though his face shone with shared excitement.

At that moment the footsteps of the man interrupted their discussion, and they all looked to see Simon Cowell the football coach coming down the hall about to pass them.

Niall nodded his head with a small grin.

“Hello Niall,” Simon nodded back at him and then stared at the other two boys. “Louis….and?”

Louis felt his jaw flex involuntarily and then recovered from his normal negative gut reaction to the man enough to point to Harry.  “This is Harry Styles, new kid on the block.”  He looked at Harry and pointed a thumb at the man.  “This is Simon, the football coach.”

“Hello; good to meet you!”  Harry reached his hand out, and Simon shook it politely.

“Likewise.  I’ve heard about you Harry.  Nice to see people are making you feel so _at home_ so quickly.” He flashed a quick smile as Louis swallowed a potential lump of bile that threatened to emerge.  Louis couldn’t stop his eyes from narrowing as he quickly started walking again without another word, and the boys followed him. 

“Louis…can I see you for a moment?” He stopped them in their tracks with the slightly ominous tone in his voice.  Niall stared at Louis, who gave a little shrug, walked over to Simon, and wordlessly stared up at his face.  Simon led him down the hall several paces away, then turned to him and lowered his voice.

“I understand Mr. Styles and his mother have just moved here from Arizona.  I hope you will be a good influence on him.”

Louis looked at him with a frozen look on his face.  “Why wouldn’t I be?” he answered with a slight edge.

“See, right there…and just now…you have this habit of disrespecting me when other students are around.  It would be a shame if your new friend got off on the wrong foot.  I’m just interested in seeing him not immediately associated with the _wrong type_ of people.”

Louis scrunched up his face in a moment of incredulity.

“You know _exactly_ what I’m talking about, don’t you?”  Simon narrowed his eyes at him.    

Louis’ face flamed red.

“Mr. Cowell, you have this habit of harassing me…for no good reason… it’s just getting a little tiresome.”

Simon gave him a totally humorless smile.  “No faculty member is going to have sympathy for a student who habitually shows disrespect, as you have to me.  Might I remind you that your friend Liam Payne is hoping for a football scholarship?  I will have a huge influence on who is chosen for that.  It would be unfortunate if I had to go with someone else because of Liam’s close association with belligerent and…. _disrespectful_ students.”    

Louis’ mouth fell open and he blinked wordlessly for a moment.

“You might want to keep that in mind when you think about the type of behavior and attitude you engage in.” Simon continued.  “I’m only looking after your best interests.”

That last statement was too much for Louis, and he finally found his tongue.  “What a load of bull…you’re threatening me.”

“I repeat…I’m only looking after your best interests Mr. Tomlinson, and now you are using improper language in an outright state of insubordination.  I highly advise you to change your tone.” He turned to look at the other two boys, who were looking at a bulletin board and occasionally glancing their way.   “Change your tone _and_ your behavior…before the school term begins on Monday.”  He looked him in the eye.  “Especially if you value your friend Mr. Payne.  Good day!” 

Louis watched him continue down the hallway, his own expression a mixture of loathing and disbelief.  Niall and Harry walked up next to him.

“What was _that_ all about?” Niall asked as he searched his face.

Louis face turned to stone.  “Let’s get out of here…come on.”

He led the way up the closest stairway and out one of the side doors into the noonday sun.  Louis looked behind him to make sure nobody was within earshot. 

“He is…” he began, and tried to breathe through his anger.  “He is evil.”  He turned to Harry, who was watching him with a wide-eyed concern.  Behind Louis’ anger there was a sadness, and he blinked as his eyes threatened to water.  A line knotted between Harry’s eyebrows, and Niall said, “Whoa…what the hell did he say to you?”

“Let’s just say that I better make sure I am… _behaving_ myself if I want Liam to get a football scholarship.”

Niall’s mouth dropped open.  “Wait, that’s like…when have you ever gotten in trouble?  Besides, that sounds an awful lot like blackmail or something.  He can’t do that!”

“Apparently I am known for being disrespectful, and scholarship recipients can’t be associated with the likes of me.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and they continued walking.

“That’s not even true!  What’s he even talking about?”

Harry listened quietly and turned his troubled eyes from the sidewalk to Louis’ face; Louis looked sideways at him and they made eye contact for several beats.

Niall continued his rant.  “I’m glad I’m not on the football team.  Poor Payno.  How does someone like that get promoted?  Can’t you complain to someone about him?”

“According to him, the faculty thinks that I’m just a smart ass, and who would listen to me?”

“But that’s just bullshit.  Mr. Sheeran would never agree with that, and others too.  It’s like he has something against you.”

“Mr. Sheeran is just the new choir director, not that much older than we are, really.  Simon is a big shot who Principal Thompson thinks can do no wrong; he totally sucks up to her.  I don’t think she likes me much either.  If it was just me, I wouldn’t care less, but Payno needs the scholarship.  Screw it, I can kill him with kindness if I have to; sorry about all this Harry.”         

Harry shook his head.  “Don’t worry about me.  He sounds….he sounds a lot like someone back home to be honest.”  His earlier thoughts about being accepted in his new school crowded his brain.  “There’s one in every crowd...but it’s more noticeable when the crowd is smaller”

“Doesn’t seem right to me.”  Niall said.

They waked quietly for a few minutes, then Niall turned to Harry.

“So, other than meeting Simon the Scowl, how do you like living here so far, Harry?  How’d you end up with this guy?” he thumbed to Louis.

“I miss my friends of course, but I ran into Louis while checking out the marina.  I tortured him a little, and we’ve been friends ever since!”  He gave Louis a little smirk. 

Louis smiled a little as he watched the sidewalk.  “Yes – _tortured!”_ he responded sarcastically.

“Have you met Liam or Stan yet?”

“Who?”

“Ha, I guess not!”

Louis gave Niall a sheepish grin.  The truth was, for some reason that simmered just below his consciousness, he hadn’t wanted to share Harry.

“Hey, Louis, when does Hannah get back?”  Niall suddenly asked, then said to Harry, “You’ll have to meet her too.”

After a few beats of silence, Louis answered, “She and her parents get back late tonight.  I suppose I’ll see her tomorrow.”

“You suppose?  Man, you are the romantic!” Niall teased, ribbing him with an elbow.

Louis squinted into the sun and ribbed him back.  “You can give me advice when you find a girlfriend, Niall.”

“What a burn!” he laughed at Louis, who looked back at the sidewalk as they continued walking.

Harry walked beside them, glancing between the two, looking for eye contact with Louis.

“Besides,” Louis continued, tossing his head up with an exaggerated air. “I’ve had Harry to keep me company.” Harry gave him a warm smile.

Niall giggled.  “Maybe we could all get together at the Rev this Friday to initiate Harry before the school year starts?”

“Great idea, Niall!”

“What’s the Rev?”  Harry asked.

Louis adjusting his bangs as he blinked at Harry, “It’s a bowling alley that has Friday nights for students, where they don’t serve alcohol, just pizza.  We stink at bowling, but it’s all just for laughs.”

“Sounds like fun!” Harry gazed with appreciation at Louis.  “I never expected meeting friends so soon,” he said to Niall, “I guess meeting Louis was pretty lucky.” 

Niall looked quickly over to him with a wide grin, and Louis gave him a genuine smile of gratitude.

“Lucky!” Louis then smirked.  “So lucky you tortured me!” He elbowed Harry so hard he pushed him off the sidewalk.

“Hey!”  Harry faked a stern frown.  “You were no picnic!  You tortured me right back, so I’d say we are even!” He pushed Louis into Niall until they both stumbled onto the grass.

“See what I’m talking about, Niall?” Louis falsely griped, and got Harry into a loose head lock, using his other hand to pull his arm tight. Harry laughed and tried to return the gesture, and they circled around each other, grunting and giggling.

“Ok, I take back what I said!”  Harry tried to sound offended.  “Meeting you was the worst thing ever!”  

Louis used his body to push Harry over to the grass, and got into his face.  They made eye contact, and for a moment neither of them breathed.

“Horrible!”  Louis finally agreed, Harry taking a deep breath and pushing him back.

“Watch that cop come and get after us again!”

Niall stood by the curb watching their antics with a raised eyebrow grin at the cop comment, then glanced over as a car slowly drove by.  The driver was Simon Cowell himself.  He had dark sunglasses on, but his face froze in a scowl as he glanced at the boys and shook his head and said something to himself.  Niall’s eyes narrowed as he watched him drive away at the same speed, Harry and Louis completely unaware.

Niall blinked at the sidewalk, then watched the boys as they broke off, laughing in each other’s faces, Louis grinning until his eyes crinkled, head bobbing side to side.  Louis had always been a physically gregarious sort, but there was an added element here that was familiar; Louis and Zayn had often goofed around with the same aura.

Why did Coach Cowell seem so obsessed with his friend Louis Tomlinson?    

 

 

CHAPTER EIGHT - REVELATION

  


“So, mom,” Lottie began as she dug into her dinner of beef goulash, “I have a date with Matthew Anderson next week!”  She spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world as she nonchalantly rolled her eyes up at the ceiling.

Her mother dropped her spoon and sank back in her chair, giving a little squeal. 

“The boy you have had your eye on for an eternity?”

Louis watched his sister for a minute as he sat across from her finishing his own dinner.

Lottie burst with a gleeful smile as she finally let loose her enthusiasm, raising her hand that held her fork to the ceiling and stamping her feet on the floor. “Mom!” she exclaimed, lowering her fork and resting her other hand on Jay’s arm.  “I didn’t want to jinx it, but this is really happening!” she lowered her voice and bent closer to her mother’s face and added, “He is SO hot.”

“My, my, you better tell me all about this, young lady!”

Louis sighed dramatically and broke off a piece of his bread, giving her a look.  “I’m happy for you and all, but can this _please_ wait until I am done eating?”

Lottie poked at her goulash again. ”You can’t bother me today Louis, because I am too in love…” she looked up at him and though he had teased her, his eyes blinked at her thoughtfully.  “Besides,” Lottie continued, “Hannah is going to be back tomorrow.  I would think you would be floating on air yourself.” She raised her eyebrows at him.

“Never mind that,” Jay waved her hand, “I want to hear about how Mr. Anderson finally came to his senses.”

“Oh my gosh,” she began, and while she told her mother all about the boy who made her knees weak, gave her heart palpitations, and took her breath away, Louis found himself identifying with every word...but not in relation to Hannah.  He quickly finished his dinner and pushed his chair back.

“Thanks mom,” he interjected as he got up and put his dishes in the sink.  “I may be going out later.  Can I have the car for a couple hours?”

“Are you seeing Harry again?”

“Maybe,” he smiled, and went upstairs to his room. 

He closed the door behind him and went to his window, clinging to the jam and giving a silent scream until he ran out of breath.  Finally he sat on his bed and reached for his phone.  Inhaling deeply, he searched his saved text messages, which gave him a painful stab of guilt; there were several from Zayn he had not looked at yet.  He opened his Zayn message board and read the following: 

 “ _Hey, Louis.  We have now reached Texas, and boy is it hot here!  Hope you are doing well.  I miss you.”_

_“Austin is hot but lovely; I’m all signed up for my senior year.  The people seem nice; I hope they accept me here.  The accents are cool.  Haven’t heard from you.  Miss you.”_

Louis curled up on his side and continued reading with an increasing lump in his throat.

_“I’m thinking about everything that happened, and hoping you don’t feel weird or anything.  I’m doing some soul searching.  Made a couple friends.  Hope to hear from you sometime.”_

_“Hi Louis.  I imagine you are busy with something, but shoot me a line just so I know you are fine….see what I did there?_ _J_ _I made a decision today.  I feel pretty good about it.  It wasn’t just a phase…I wasn’t just messing around.  This is who I am, and I’ve decided to be open about it with people.  It feels very good.  You may feel totally different than I do, and that is ok.  Just know I will always be here if you need to talk.  Your friend always, Zayn.”_

Louis slowly rolled onto his back and blinked against the moisture that welled in his eyes and stared up at the ceiling.  He thought about Zayn, he thought about Lottie and her new beau, he thought about Hannah…and he thought about Harry.

Who was he kidding?  His thoughts went back to the day he first acknowledged he may be different than other boys.

_The early Saturday sun shone through the windows of the living room and reflected off the golden-brown head of twelve-year-old Louie Tomlinson as he finished his breakfast of corn flakes.  Next to him sat his childhood friend Stan, who tossed a baseball in his gloved hand as he waited for him to finish._

_“Liam and Niall are meeting us at the ballpark, right?” he asked, Louis answering with a nod, his mouth full of cereal._

_Louis’ younger blond sister Lottie sat in a chair next to them, watching a morning comedy with her own bowl of cereal.  Across the screen was an assortment of attractive, young teen boys and girls dealing with the angst of dating and staying out of trouble with their principal._

_“What is this, Lottie?” Stan asked as Louis scraped the remaining dregs of cereal from his bowl._

_She turned her head over her shoulder and giggled, “Saved By The Bell.  The boys are cute!”_

_Louis’ liquid blue eyes looked up over his spoon at the screen as he swallowed, and nervously shook his bangs to the side as he watched the dark and blond haired boys in their shorts and tanks.  From the left of the screen two teen girls approached in cute little outfits, flirting with the boys tossing their hair and flashing smiles._

_“Aren’t you a little young to be liking boys?” Stan teased her and she answered with a pout, “No!” He then elbowed Louis with a smirk.  “I’d watch this though, just for the chicks, eh? Haha!”_

_Louis flushed and elbowed him back.  Eyeing him sideways, he noted Stan’s silly grin and shining eyes, and gave an answering smile and a chuckle.  He looked back at the screen almost guiltily._

_Yes, the girls were cute, but it was looking at the boys that gave him little warm fuzzies in his chest.  He watched Lottie as she smiled coyly at the boys, her cheeks flushed, and he felt his own stomach twitch at the idea that he identified more with his little sister than his best buddy.  It wasn’t the first time he had felt that he was somehow different from other boys._

_He finished his last spoonful of milk and stood quickly, ignoring the nervous little knot in his gut. “Mom, we’re leaving!”_

_His young, pretty mother called from the kitchen, “Please remember to put your dish in the sink Louis, and come give me a hug.”_

_Stan followed him into the kitchen and watched as he tossed his bowl in the sink, rubbed his nose, and gave his mother a bear hug. She kissed the top of his head.  “Boys, remember your safety!”_

_‘We WILL,” they both answered together, and Louis led the way to the foyer and grabbed his ball and glove.  “Ok, let’s go Stan.  Let’s play ball!”_

 

The truth came flooding over him like a tidal wave.

He picked his phone back up and sent his first text to Zayn since he moved. 

_“Hi Zayn…I met a boy who is new in town.  His name is Harry.  I think I like him very much.  I never felt this way about Hannah or any girl. Louis.”_

As he pressed send, a giddy feeling of release moved through him.

He next sent a text to Harry.

“ _Hey, are you busy?  Want to meet at the lighthouse for old times’ sake, ha!?”_

As he lay looking at the ceiling, the elation of discovery and confession met with the nerves and fear of the unknown and swirled in a dance that started in his stomach.

His phone pinged and he looked to see that he already received a return text from Zayn.  He opened it immediately.

_“I’m so emotional right now…so glad to hear from you.  It feels good to talk about it, doesn’t it?  Very proud of you.  Harry must be a special guy…does he know?”_

Louis answered him, and now that he had opened up, he couldn’t make his fingers move fast enough.

_“I don’t know…I mean we are just friends, but he looks at me a certain way and sometimes we…it’s like we know, but we don’t know.  I don’t know what to do or how to figure this out, and what do I do about Hannah?  She’s coming back tomorrow.”_

_“You met this Harry after I moved?  So you’ve known him like ten days? And you are sure?”_

_“We’ve been hanging out almost every day…I mean…it feels like I’ve been sure my whole life.”_

_“Ok…wow, then maybe you should just talk to him. Or just give him a smooch and see what happens…jk..kind of.  When you see Hannah, just be honest with her.  It can feel scary, but trust me, so worth it.”_

Louis thought about his conversation with Coach Cowell that day. 

“ _I have to be careful.  You remember that jerk coach?  I had a run in with him, and he’s worse than we ever imagined. He’s literally black mailing me about Liam and a scholarship, trying to say I am ‘disrespectful’ but I know…somehow he KNOWS…and he is able to make life hell for Liam.”_

 _“I remember him.  Sounds horrible.  I’m lucky…Austin is a very open and accepting city, and my family wasn’t really surprised._   _I bet you Mr. Sheeran from the choir is someone you could confide in…someone from the faculty to be in your corner.  He just feels….trustworthy.”_

 _“Gotta go Zayn…Harry is texting me.  I’m probably going to see him tonight.  No idea what’s going to happen, but the suspense is killing me_.”

_“Let me know how it goes and stay in touch you twat.  Seriously, so happy you talked to me.  Don’t let anybody drag you down.  You are golden. Zayn”_

_“Thanks Zayn….for everything. Louis.”_

Louis quickly tapped on Harry’s text.

_“Louis…you want to come with me to a bon fire? My mother has been invited by her new coworkers to a place up the shore for corn roast and smores.  Someone’s bringing a guitar I guess so there will be music.  Consider this payback for Larry’s Burgers last week.  Mom says it’s fine.”_

Louis’ heart started beating faster as he texted back.

“ _That sounds like a blast.  What time?”_

_“I’ll pick you up in about a half hour.  Six fourteen Fourth Avenue, right?”_

“ _Right.  See you then!”_

Louis put his phone away and went to look in the mirror. 

“I should change,” he thought to himself, and wandered to his closet. After rifling through several hangers, he picked out a pair of skinny jeans and a long-sleeved blue hooded jumper; the mosquitoes would be out tonight.  After brushing his teeth and dressing, he shook his head, allowing his fringe to fall to the side, and checked his appearance in the mirror again.  While smoothing the back of his hair, he noted that his hand was literally shaking.    

“What is wrong with me?”  He licked his lips and ran his teeth over them and took some deep breaths to steady his breathing and went downstairs.

Mark had gotten home late from the railroad again and he and his mother were at the kitchen table.  She did a double take when she saw Louis.

“My, you look handsome!  I love that color on you!”

“I concur with your mother!” his stepfather agreed.

Louis blushed and waved off the compliments, but grinned in appreciation.  “Whatever, thanks.  Say, I won’t need the car after all.  Harry and his mom are going to a bonfire and they’ve invited me along. Sounds like fun.  He’s picking me up soon.”

“Oh!  Well, that was nice of them.”  She sipped coffee and looked at him over the rim of her cup.  “You’ve gotten quite close with Harry…he’s got to be a great kid, I’ll have to meet him sometime.”

“Great kid,” Louis nodded, rubbing his hands together, “and you can host the next bonfire, mom.”

“Right!”

There was a knock at the door, and Louis sprang to open it.  As he came face to face with Harry, he turned to his mother. “Or,” he said, pointing to Harry, “you can say hi right now.”  He took a step back and looked between them.  “Mom, this is Harry Styles.  Harry…my mom.  That’s my step dad, Mark.”

Mark waved, “Hello!”

Jay stood up holding her coffee cup and slowly walked over towards her son’s new friend.  He had cargo jeans on and a dark green hooded sweatshirt with kind, sparkling eyes to match.  “Hello,” he said to her with a little smile, a hint of dimple showing.  “Nice to meet you.”  She was charmed at the outset.

“Hello, Harry Styles.  It’s great to finally meet _you_.”  She reached out and they shook hands.  “Thanks for inviting Louis along, be sure to tell your mother I said so.”

“Oh, it’s our pleasure.  Louis’ been a good friend being I didn’t know anybody in town.”

Louis put a hand on Harry’s shoulder and quipped, “All right, _all_ right, enough of that, let’s not keep the fire waiting!”  His blue eyes, however, shown with satisfaction as they moved through the door. 

“Have fun boys….” She hesitated.  She wanted to remind Louis not to stay out too late because Hannah would want to see him in the morning, but for some reason it didn’t feel like the right thing to say.  Instead, she waved and leaned in the doorway, still holding her coffee.   “Be safe!”

She watched as they waved, exchanged coy smiles, and got in the car, Harry at the wheel.  The feeling that her son was just picked up for a first date strongly descended upon her.

  

 

CHAPTER NINE - HEAT

  


“Choke Cherry campground,” Louis pointed out the sign. 

“This is the same campground you talked about when we came out here last week I think,” Harry stated as he turned into the long driveway and looked for lot 23. 

“It is indeed!  I camped here a few years ago…the best thing ever is a bonfire by the beach.”

Their conversation was light and invaded with small talk that didn’t reflect what Louis felt inside.  Every time Harry looked at him, it seemed that he would drown in a pool of emotion  Harry’s gaze was full of something that threatened to pull Louis’ heart right out of his chest, but he wasn’t sure if he was seeing things or not. 

“Here it is,” Harry stated as he pulled into a large campsite that housed an RV trailer.  There were three other cars parked on the site and they could smell and see the fire flickering through the trees in the distance.

He stopped the car, pulled the keys out of the ignition, and turned to give Louis a wry smile.  “Blueberry Hill,” he said simply.

Louis returned his look, then remembered their conversation when they had visited the falls.  He wasn’t sure what Harry meant, other than reminding him of what they had talked about.  As he made eye contact, a definite gleam flickered from Harry’s eyes to his, and he felt the need to swallow as his mouth went suddenly dry.

“That’s right,” he croaked, “no thrill on Blueberry Hill.”

“What a shame,” Harry answered with what Louis swore was heavy sarcasm.  He opened the door and got out, followed by Louis.  The murmur of voices and laughter floated over the air from the direction of the fire, and the cool-ish night air hit them.  Harry reached back into the back seat of the car and pulled out a soft knit blue-grey beanie hat.

“Might need this!”

“You have a beanie hat!  They’re my fave!”

Harry glanced down at his hat, then up at Louis, and walked over to stand in front of him.  Lifting the hat up, he unceremoniously placed it on Louis’ head, using his palms on either side secure it in place, leaving his fringie bangs out.  Louis stood without moving, sure he was going to give himself away at any moment.

“There!”  Harry said cheerfully.  “I think it looks good on you!”    

Louis felt Harry’s eyes travelling over him, and while his nerves wanted him to turn and run, he found himself doing the complete opposite.  He returned his look with a grin and bumped his hip into Harry’s. 

“Thank you, Harry.  What about you?”

Harry flashed his teeth and dimples in a smile and reached in the car for another hat.  “Well prepared!” He plopped it on his own head over his curls.  “Now we’ll both have proper hat hair.”

As they made their way to the fire, Louis draped his arm around Harry’s shoulder, and tapped the side of his cheek with his hand.  “So, Harry,” he began in a jovial manner.  “What _does_ thrill you, hm?  Inquiring minds want to know!”

The scene before them when they reached the fire was spread out in true high gala fashion.  They were at the edge of the solid rock beach where there was a picnic table set in cement.  Covering it was a red and white paid vinyl table cloth set with china paper plates, cups, boxes of plastic ware, and casserole dishes with various edibles.  On the edge was a five gallon drink cooler with a spout, and in the middle a large candle someone had thought to bring was burning, adding to the ambiance. 

Someone by the fire had a large pot filled with water and soaking corn that he placed one by one into the fire.  He had a small table with a large metal pan and tongues ready to retrieve the corn when it was done.     

Around the fire were three large, long logs shaved on the top made for sitting. Some people were sitting, others were standing with cups in their hand chatting, and a few were by the water checking out the lake.  A pretty middle-aged brunette quickly approached them.

“Harry!”  She reached around giving him a quick hug, then turned to Louis.  “You must be Louis!” 

Louis felt his cheeks turn pink.  “Yes, ma’am, that’s me.”  

“Louis, this is my mom…mom, this is Louis,” Harry formally introduced them.

She reached out to shake his hand, smiling at him and glancing up at the beanie he was wearing.   “It’s very good to meet you Louis.  You’ve been a good friend to Harry.”

Louis’ embarrassment turned up several notches.  “It’s good to meet you too.” 

“Harry, he has a hat just like yours,” she said, still looking at the blue beanie on Louis’ head.

“That’s mine, I gave it to him,” he said proudly.

She looked at Harry, then smiled back at Louis.  “Well, Louis, you have been crowned; that’ always been his favorite.”

Louis smiled at the woman who gave off very positive vibes, and he felt himself relaxing.  “Harry, I am honored I’m sure, but of course I can’t keep it.”

“We’ll see.”    

Harry’s mother took him by the arm. “Come, I want you to meet my coworkers, then you two can mingle…also, I have a surprise for you.”

They followed her to the fire.  Someone was bent over a guitar case, carefully removing it along with a packet of picks.  He stood up and they saw the kind, friendly face of Mr. Sheeran the choir director.

“Look who’s here!”  Harry’s mother gleefully chimed.

“Mr. Sheeran!”  Louis exclaimed in a happy, raspy voice.

“Hello there, Louis!  Glad to see you!  You too Harry.”

“Wow…same!” Harry said in surprise.

“If you are wondering why I’m here…my cousin happens to work for the Tide.”  He thumbed to the man standing next to him.  “This is Rodger Moe.  Rodger, two of my students…Harry is Anne’s son.”

There was hand shaking all around, and Harry’s mother introduced them to other people from the newspaper who she would be working closely with.  One of them was a short, balding man who couldn’t resist saying, “Thank God The Tide found you.  The one you are replacing was a pain in the ass…whoops,” he added, grinning at the boys.

“I think the boys can handle it, Mike.  But thanks!” she smiled at Harry and Louis, and Louis felt warmed that she included him in her response.

“Hey!” Someone yelled, “There’s a cooler of beer and wine coolers over here for whoever! Drink responsibly!”

One of the women had a couple children with her, both girls, around four and six years old.  “Kris and Shelly wanted to see the fire, but I told them we couldn’t stay too long because it’s their bedtime soon, right girls?” she turned to them.  They both made long faces.

“Noooo,” Kris, the younger one moaned as she clung to her mother’s jacket.

“Yeeeeees,” her mother answered.

Kris then stopped and stared straight ahead, and her mother looked to see Louis making playful faces at her.  She slowly grinned shyly and rested her head on her mother.  Shelly giggled at Louis, who made faces at her too, then everybody laughed.  The girls’ mother and Harry both smiled appreciatingly at Louis.  

The sounds of Ed Sheeran’s guitar being tuned floated across the night air, and shortly a lovely song of picked chords added to the atmosphere of the night.

Harry said to Louis, “Wanna check out the water?”

“You bet.”

“Shoo, go on you two, just don’t get crazy.”  Harry’s mother motioned with her hands, “we don’t want to have to pull you out of the water!  We will holler when the corn is ready.”

The beach was one big flat rock, with very few variances, which made it much easier to navigate than the beach by the marina.  There were a few pebbles scattered around, and Louis proceeded to pick up a few and throw them back into the water as they made their way down the beach.

“Your mom is so very nice.”  Louis stated, turning to him.

“Yeah, I think she’s pretty cool.”

“No wonder you didn’t want her to move alone.”

Harry scrunched his face up in an emotional little pout that went straight to Louis’ heart.  He had an overwhelming urge to touch Harry’s face.  Instead, he stepped closer to him and asked,

“Is this really your favorite hat?”

They stood looking at one another and Harry shrugged.  “I guess….” He trailed off in a sheepish grin.

“Why did you…”

Harry answered over him, “It looks better on you than me.”

They could hear Ed’s guitar changing songs, and people started singing along.

“I doubt it,” Louis reached up like he was going to take off the hat, but Harry quickly grabbed his hand to stop him.  “No, I want you to have it.”  He spoke with determination and held onto Louis’ hand, and for a moment they were suspended as they maintained eye contact, their eyes speaking where the mouth was not yet brave enough to speak.  Louis finally lowered his hand and Harry let go, but not before giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Corn’s ready!”  Someone hollered in the distance. 

“Boys!  Corn’s ready!”

“Harry,” Louis began with a little smile, “the corn’s ready.”

They stood in line to fill their plates, taking a steaming ear of corn that was already shucked and ready to be buttered. 

“This is amazing,” Louis stated, salting the cob and looking around.  “This is high-class camp dining.”

“Somebody went all out.”  Harry agreed, and the man in front of them turned around.

“This is all because we are so happy your mother has joined our ranks,” he said to Harry.  Harry remembered that he had been introduced as his mother’s immediate supervisor.  “Hope you are feeling welcome so far in our community, Harry.”

Harry smiled over his shoulder at Louis.  “Absolutely!  It’s a beautiful area, and most people have been very nice.”

“Well, enjoy yourselves!”

There was a spot for both of them near the choir director, and they sat down balancing their plates on their laps.  Ed Sheeran was still playing his guitar.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”  Harry asked him pleasantly.

“I’d rather play music than eat,” he joked. “No, I’m going to wait until the line goes down.  Meanwhile, I will serenade the diners.”

He looked up as he casually strummed.  “Anybody know any good campfire songs?” he called out to the crowd.

“Yeah, how about Tie Me Kangaroo Down?” A young man in his twenties laughed.

“Ah, haha, yes,” Ed happily started picking away and the man started singing the old camp favorite.

Louis smiled and nodded, “love that one,” as he started on his corn.

The man who requested the song sang loud and lively, getting the crowd to join in, Louis included.  There were motions and actions normally associated with the song, and the atmosphere was so open that Louis couldn’t resist setting his plate down and acting them out right there by his seat while he sang.  Harry laughed out loud and then grinned in appreciation of his antics.

“Hey, we have an actor here!” the man who initiated the song cried out.  “Come on, stand by the fire and entertain us!”

Louis wasn’t that far from the fire and only had to move a few feet as he continued his pantomime of the song’s lyrics.  Louis became more animated with each verse as the crowd responded and clapped to the beat.

Harry’s mother moved away from the group she was talking with to sit next to him as she watched Louis perform.

“Harry,” she said, turning to him with a smile, “he is absolutely delightful.” 

Harry studied her for a moment, then nodded, “I agree.”

She gave him a hug and returned to her friends.

Harry stared after her with a slight question on his face, then smirked to himself as Louis finished the song.  At that point Louis was so uninhibited in his actions, he fairly danced, and the joy of the moment shone from his face; he was definitely in his element.  Harry’s smirk faded to longing.

Ed finished with a strong strum of chords, and as the crowd clapped and cheered, Louis’ smile was so big as he sat back down that Harry was sure his cheeks might fall off.  Harry couldn’t stop looking at him, and finally said,

“My mother thinks you’re delightful.”

“Really?” he snorted, still smiling, and reached for his plate.  “Haha, that was so much fun.  I haven’t done that one since YMCA camp!”

“She’s right,” Harry said simply, and scooped a forkful of goulash into his mouth.  Louis stared at him as he chewed very purposefully.

Ed slowly picked his guitar in a change of pace, and leaned over to look at Louis.  “You were very good; you should be in drama club.”

“I used to think about that all the time Mr. Sheeran!” he answered, pulling his eyes from harry to resume eating. 

“Louis?” Harry asked, “You really enjoyed that, didn’t you?  The kangaroo song?”

Louis leaned his forearms on his knees and sent harry a little smile.  “I haven’t had that much fun since…” he didn’t finish his thought, but chuckled as he grinned up at the stars then back over to Harry, his eyes shining an ocean depth of blue.

Ed picked the intro for his next tune, a slightly up-tempo version of “You are My Sunshine,” then started in singing the chorus.  His voice was a lovely tenor, and it set a mood of relaxed, inter-social connectedness among those present.

_You are my sunshine_

_My only sunshine_

_You make me happy_

_When skies are grey_

_You’ll never know dear_

_How much I love you_

_Please don’t take my sunshine away_

He sang the chorus again, and this time, those who weren’t chewing joined in. 

As Louis ate his corn, rotating it in his fingers, the melody and words created an alarming warmth in the center of his chest, and he became very aware that Harry’s leg was only inches from his own.

Ed began the verse, and everyone stopped singing to just listen and eat.

_The other night dear_

_While I Iay sleeping_

_I dreamed I held you in my arms_

_When I awoke dear_

_I was mistaken_

_So I hung my head and cried_

When he began the chorus again, everyone joined in.  As Louis took a bite of hot dish, he couldn’t resist a glance at Harry, who was looking at him with a deep, unreadable expression that flickered in the firelight.   Louis swallowed his food and licked his lips clean, and Harry’s expression changed from thoughtful to intense. 

He ever so subtly nodded his head once as he shifted in his seat.  Louis responded in kind, then turned to his plate, his innards suddenly too full of jumbled emotion to really want any more food.

He heard Harry join the chorus on its second round, his soulful baritone joining the others, and more than one person turned to him.  Ed Sheeran stopped singing and looked over at him with a wide smile.

When the song finished, Ed spoke to those around the fire.  “Is it any wonder I insisted he be part of our choir this year?”

Harry’s cheeks turned pink as people clapped and hooted in appreciation, and Louis stood to reach for his empty plate.

“Oh…thanks…” As Harry handed it to him, Louis let his pointer finger brush across his knuckles, then turned quickly to find the trash container.  He snuck a look over his shoulder to see Harry staring after him.

 

Ed put his guitar away and finally walked over to the table to find some food, and as he dished his plate up Harry’s mother stepped up next to him.

“That was so sweet of you to say, Mr. Sheeran.  Harry has always loved music.”

“He is very talented…and more than that, he is….such a nice kid!  He and Louis seem to have hit it off.  Louis is a great kid too; he has a big heart.” He smiled at her as he salted his corn.

“After tonight, I can see why Harry enjoys his company so much”

“You know,” Ed balanced his plate in one hand and poured a cup of lemonade with the other, “I bet they would sound good singing together!”

As she agreed whole heartedly, another woman approached nodding her head and cutting the air with her hand.  “Anne,” she said emphatically, “your son is a cutie, and what a nice voice! _Both_ those boys are simply….” she searched for the proper word but finally gave up and finished with “adorable!  I know, they’re both seniors, college bound in a year, but that’s it!”  She threw up her hands.  “They are simply adorable!”    

“Don’t apologize…I just called them delightful!”  She laughed and glanced around looking for them, but their spot by the fire was empty and she didn’t see them anywhere close by.  

  

CHAPTER TEN – FLAME

  


Louis’ heart hammered in his chest as he and Harry made their way down the dirt trail that lead to the mouth of Choke Cherry River.  There was an intensity between them that had not been present until now, and the unspoken chemistry simmered just beneath a thread-bare surface.

He couldn’t be just imagining that Harry shared at least some of the feelings he was experiencing, but what if he was wrong?  What if their friendship became strained if he were to express himself?  What was he even doing, considering he had a girlfriend who was returning the next day, and would no doubt expect a joyful reunion?

The fact was, Hanna was more like a friend, and he knew she always would be.  Recognizing this truth somehow drove his need to express himself to Harry all the more; at the moment, nothing else mattered.          

They heard the rush of the river as it met Lake Royal, and finally came upon the river bank that spread out in a beach made of tiny pebbles.  Their feet slid a little bit as they walked upon it with nothing but star and moonlight to guild them. 

There was a large round dead log that had washed upon the beach, and Louis led the way and sat upon it, patting the seat next to him.  Harry sat down just inches away.

“Nice night,” Harry said, in a ridiculously obvious attempt at small talk that ignored the elephant sitting between them.

Louis pulled his phone out of his pocket and started going through old pictures.  “It is,” he agreed.  “Would you like to see some daylight pics of this spot?” he added, feeling silly as hell at his blatant ulterior motive.

“Sure.” Harry answered.

As he scrolled through his albums and clicked on the one he wanted, Louis inched himself closer and held the phone up so they both could see, and he tried to keep his hands steady.

Harry reached for a corner of the phone, but allowed his fingers to overlap Louis’, and brought the phone closer, leaning over to see the pictures, their faces inches apart.  Neither of them moved their fingers or pulled them away, and this simple contact that Harry initiated created an electric current that went up Louis’ arm and all the way down to his toes.       

“That’s a good picture,” Harry breathed, and his chest rose and fell as he breathed again.

As Louis slide his thumb to scroll, he moved his hand around Harrys, part of him fearing any second that Harry would pull away in a “what are you doing” moment, but deciding it to be worth the risk.  Harry didn’t pull away; in fact, his shoulder pressed gently into his own, and he found the courage to turn a forty-five degree angle and look at him.

Harry slowly turned his eye to meet Louis’ and the sparks of a thousand fires swirled between them and Harry’s mouth opened slightly as if to be able to breathe better. Their eyes roamed over each other’s faces, Harry finally tearing his from Louis’ lips back to his eyes.

“Campfire…” Louis began in a hoarse whisper, and turned his head to put his nose near Harry’s hair.  “You smell like campfire…I like campfire.” 

Harry leaned in and Louis put his cheek against Harry’s and his nose buried in his curls and he inhaled deeply.  He felt Harry’s breath against his neck and a yearning sprung up in the depth of his gut as he lowered the phone and their fingers intertwined.

The fact that Harry had responded and not turned away created an avalanche of relief and feeling so strong he was almost afraid of himself.  He reached with his other hand and ran his finger ups through Harry’s hair under his hat and back down to rest softly on his neck, and he felt Harry’s breath come faster and warmer against his own; Louis sensed that his lips were very close to making contact with his skin.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled and nuzzled Harry’s hair, and it was not the campfire but the whole of Harry’s scent and being, and he allowed his lips to bury into his hair.  He opened his eyes then, and gazed upon the skin of his neck for a moment.  It seemed the most natural thing in the world to let his mouth slide down Harry’s hair to rest on the tender patch of skin below his ear, and as he did he felt Harry’s little intake of air, felt his hand release his to travel up his arm and squeeze just above the elbow. 

Each time Harry responded, it sent crazy shivers over him, and his lips became braver as he tasted Harry…and Harry tasted very good. He felt Harry’s hand on his own neck then and heard the tiniest hum come from him.  He let his tongue slip between his lips and lather over the tender spot as he began to suck and his own hand found Harry’s waist.   Harry’s hand tightened on his neck and another hum, a little louder, escaped him.         

The sound of distant voices growing louder made their way into louis’ consciousness, and he reluctantly drew back and their eyes found each other as they sought to control their breathing.  Harry’s eyes were dark with longing and amazement, and finally a little smile turned up the corners of his mouth.

Louis licked his lips and started a little grin as they distinctly heard someone say, “Yeah, I think the mouth is over here.  Where’s the moon, shit, I can’t see anything.”

They both stood up as three guys came through the trees.  They weren’t a part of their group, and each carried a six pack of beer.  They glanced at Harry and Louis, then made their way further down the beach to a grassy area, laughing among themselves.

Harry and Louis watched them, then turned and faced each other, both their faces pink with the idea they very easily could have been caught by somebody.  Louis’ gaze hovered on Harry’s full lips, then travelled back to his eyes, and Harry watched him do it and stared back with a helpless intensity as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

“I…” Harry began, but that is all he said.

Louis flickered his eyes towards the trail that led to their campfire site, and started walking, and Harry followed.  As they walked through the cover of the trees, Louis stopped and turned around.  Harry watched him, his eyebrows knit together and his eyes full of questioning affection.

“Are you…” Louis began in a hoarse whisper, “are you taking your mom home or…?”

“I’m not sure.”

In the distance they heard Ed’s guitar and a rise of voices cheering.

“Do you…feel weird about what happened?  I mean I didn’t mean to…”

“I don’t feel weird at all.”  Harry answered quickly.

“Then you felt…are you…”

“I felt…it felt good,” he choked qiuetly on the words, “it felt very good.”

Louis answered him with his eyes, nodded, and swallowed any words that wanted to come out.  He had never felt such a magnetic pull towards anybody in his life…not even Zayn.  He had no interest in going back to the party.

“I suppose we should be getting back,” he stated regretfully, and Harry nodded.

“I suppose you are right.”

The chemistry continued to zing between them as they wordlessly made their way through the trail and back to the campfire. 

“Here they are!” the boisterous twenty-something year old cried out as they approached the periphery.  The crowd had thinned out, but Ed was still there; he looked up at them from his perch and his gaze was thoughtful as he strummed a nameless tune.

“I almost thought my strapping son had deserted me!” his mother teased, smiling at both of them as she met them.

Harry and Louis exchanged a look and Harry put his arm around her.  “Mom, you know I would never….”

“You know I’m kidding, silly! I was actually looking for you, because Donna is ready to go and she can take me home.  You two probably want to stay out longer.” She said, pointing her first two fingers between the two of them.

Louis grinned widely, saying to her, “See, I knew I liked you!” 

Harry’s eyes widened at Louis, and his mother laughed, “Just so your mother doesn’t think we kidnapped you.” 

“Haha,” Louis chuckled, and blinked his eyes at harry, giving what he thought was a subtle wink.

“It was great finally meeting you Louis,” she added with a sincere smile, causing Louis’ already pink cheeks to grow pinker as he ducked is head a little.

“The pleasure is all mine.”

She gave Harry a hug that seemed to go on for a few seconds, and she said in his ear, “Have fun, but don’t be out too late sweety...”

Harry kissed her cheek.  “I’d look horrible as a pumpkin anyways.”

She waved and flagged Donna down, and they disappeared through the trees.  The boys turned to each other and their eyes locked.

Ed’s guitar stopped, and they heard the sounds of him replacing it in the case.

“Harry!” he called over to them.

They both turned simultaneously, and walked over.

“It was certainly good to see you again.” He said cheerfully to Harry.  “You too Louis, as always.”

“Oh same,” they both answered. 

“I look forward to having you both in the choir this year.  I may want to put a couple small groups together for the Christmas concert.  I think you two would do well in a group together.”

Harry and Louis grinned at each other, eyes shining, and Louis chimed, “All right!” and exchanged a high five with him.

“Are you heading out, Mr. Sheeran?”

“You betchya!”  he said as he gathered his guitar.  “And please, call me Ed…” then he lowered his voice, “…as long as principal Thompson isn’t around.”

Louis did an eye roll before he could stop himself.  Ed continued as if he hadn’t noticed.

“Have to turn in so I can get up for an early faculty meeting.” He smiled like it was the most wonderful idea in the world, so much that one would almost have to take it as sarcasm.  “Good night boys.”  He turned and waved to the remaining crowd as he disappeared. 

Harry turned to Louis and cleared his throat.  “So, do you want to hang around…”

“No.”  Louis shook his head.  “I mean, unless you want to,” he added quickly.

“No.  Let’s go.”

After thanking the cooks and saying goodbye, they went back to the car.  A few heads turned and watched them walk away.

 

  

CHAPTER ELEVEN – FIRE

  


Harry started the car, then leaned back against the window with a bent elbow resting on the steering wheel as he looked at Louis.  “Where to, Mr. Tour Guild?” he asked with a husky edge.

Louis locked eyes with him and didn’t answer, because all he could think of was ‘anywhere you are.’  He wasn’t quite ready to admit _everything_ he was feeling just yet, though the look Harry was giving him indicated he was feeling the same.  He rubbed his chin just below his bottom lip as he thought a moment.

“Ok, there is one spot I haven’t shown you yet….kind of a lookout spot.  People usually go during the day...but it's still pretty cool at night.”

Harry repositioned himself and shifted to reverse, then grinned slightly.  “You’ll have to direct me.”

“Is that what you say to all the guys?” Louis squeezed his eyes shut immediately, and mentally hit himself over the head.  When he opened them, Harry had his right arm over the seat as he looked behind him to back up.  As he shifted back to drive, he smirked at Louis, eyes sparkling. 

“Only when I don’t know where I’m going.”

“Oh my god,” Louis giggled as he looked out his passenger window, relieved and impressed with Harry’s returned banter.  “Harry…”

Harry silently laughed along with him until his eyes were tiny slits.  Then he looked at Louis with a mixture of humor and seriousness.  “So…where are we going?”

Louis stared back, and his eyes filled with a hopeless fond; then he jumped out on a limb.  “I was going to say Blueberry Hill, but I think we were just there…weren’t we.”

“I’m there right now…”

“Oh….” Louis breathed out, his eyes locked, trying to control the insanity that zipped through his insides, “Ok…take a right when you get to the highway and go about a mile or so.”  He pulled his eyes away and looked out the dash window.  “You’ll take a left onto Dorset Road.” 

He had the feeling that Harry had known for some time that he liked boys, but obviously, up until tonight, he had been just as unsure where he stood with Louis as he had with Harry.   After their experience by the mouth of the river, however, it was obvious that Harry seemed very willing to share his feelings.

Now that he was poised at the lip of the open plane door, was Louis ready to actually jump?  This would irrevocably cement the knowledge of his own self-awareness. 

Harry pulled onto Dorset Road, and shortly the small parking area at the trail head came up on their right.  He parked the car, removed the keys, and turned to Louis.  

The magnetic stare from Harry pulled him in, and he turned his eyes back to him, becoming hopelessly lost in a sea of green.  Suddenly nothing else mattered but that he was here with Harry, and that Harry wanted to be here with him. 

He lifted his hand, palm facing Harry, and Harry pressed his own palm against his, intertwining their fingers, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile, his eyes embracing him in a yearning.  Suddenly overcome, Louis grasped Harry’s hand, pulling him towards him, and Harry slid over next to him.  Louis placed Harry’s arm around his own waist, reached up and took Harry’s hat off, and ran both hands through his hair, rubbing up his curls, and sliding them down the sides of his cheeks.  He let his thumbs caress his dimples and brought his face close.

They sat there for a few minutes breathing on one another, Harry bringing his hands up to hold Louis on either side of his face, his hands cradling his jaws.

“So…what is this?”  Harry whispered.

“I…don’t know…I mean I _know…”_ he chuckled _…”_ but I don’t _know_ …” he leaned in closer.

Harry pressed his cheek to Louis’ and gently pressed his lips to the underside of his jaw.  Louis breathed out a sigh, and felt Harry’s lips caress the tender area, creating an avalanche of warm, electric feelings all the way to his lower gut.  Harry began sucking, and Louis felt his tongue lath the area, and he let out a “hmmm” as he closed his eyes and rubbed Harry’s hair and neck. 

As he felt Harry’s lips and tongue become braver and braver his head spun and he allowed himself to be overcome in a dizzying cloud of pleasure that erased all sense of thinking and just let himself feel.  Harry’s left hand moved down his neck to rub his shoulder, and then moved down his chest to settle on his waist, gently squeezing.  He felt a blood rush to his groin, and let his left leg bend and travel over Harry’s right, a louder “ummm” escaping him.

Harry continued sucking on his neck, becoming almost desperate and hungry in nature, which just intensified Louis’ response, and he tightened his grip on Harry’s shoulders, bringing both hands down around Harry’s waist and allowing then to rest on his hips.  Harry let out an “ohhh” as he pulled off the spot on Louis’ neck and moved down, with a “hmmm,” licking as he went, to the spot next to his Adam’s apple and proceeded to suck, bite, lick the spot.

“Harry,” Louis whispered, deciding that apparently Harry indeed didn’t need any “direction” and became almost alarmed at the mindless desire that coursed through him, marveling at the fact that not too long ago he wasn’t sure how Harry was really feeling.  The fact that neither of them knew what it all meant didn’t matter….one thing was sure…he had never experienced this with any girl…and never Hannah….Hannah.

He blinked and ironically heard his phone vibrate loudly at that moment, indicating he was getting a text.  He tried to ignore it, but could tell Harry had heard it also, and felt him pull back, and their eyes locked as the phone continued vibrating almost angrily, and their breath came out in heavy puffs, their chests rising and falling, the wonder of the moment reflected in their eyes, their faces serious.

“That…” Louis finally breathed, “may be Hannah.  I forgot she was coming back tonight.”

Harry didn’t beak eye contact.  “I suppose,” he finally said, “you should check that.”

Louis leaned back, pulled his eyes away, and reached for his phone, opening Hanna’s text.

“Louis, we are on the plane waiting for take-off.  Just wanted to let you know we are on our way home, and can’t wait to see you tomorrow! Xoxo – Hannah.”

He leaned back in his seat and turned his head towards Harry, heat still zipping through him, but muted as his chest started filing with conflictions.

“Hannah.” He simply said, and turned to look out the windshield.

Harry sat back in the driver’s seat and faced forward, one hand on his thigh and the other on the steering wheel, his chest still slightly heaving.

“I’m…I’m sorry if I…” he began.

“Stop.”  Louis interrupted him.  “Don’t apologize, please.”

“But…”

“Hannah and I have never….” He began, not sure how to continue.  “I’ve never felt….but I’ve been trying to….be ‘normal’….telling myself I just needed…” he felt himself running out of breath, this time due to nerves from expressing feelings he had never shared with anyone but Zayn, although he sensed that those close to him suspected things weren’t as they seemed.

A vehicle’s headlights swept across them as it parked next to them, and as they turned to look, they watched incredulously as officer James Corden got out of his squad car with his flashlight and stepped over to Harry’s open window.   When he saw who it was, he smiled from one ear to the other.

“Well!  Louis and…Harry is it?  Looks like you boys found a safer spot to argue, although this particular spot closed at 10pm.”

They looked at each other and laughed sheepishly, their cheeks reddening.

“We were at the campground, but I wanted to show Harry the lookout spot since we were so close….kind of a continuum of my welcome wagon tour.”  Louis explained happily as he smiled big. 

“Just wanted to make sure someone wasn’t stranded with a flat or …something equally unfortunate.”  The officer grinned.  He squinted towards the area of the lookout.  “Harry may appreciate the view better in the daytime…” he looked back between them and grinned again.  “Just a suggestion.  I hate to be a wet blanket, but I’ll have to wait here until I make sure you have left.  I know you are a good kid Louis, but them’s the rules.”

“What can I say, rules are rules,” Louis grinned, inwardly warmed at the compliment.

“No problem at all, officer Corden,” Harry said pleasantly, and turned his ignition on.

“Honestly, Harry, you seem like a very nice guy….I’m sure Springdale is pleased to have you.  You are in good company with Louis here.”  He tipped his hat and moved to his car.  “Good evening boys.”

As they pulled away and drove to town, they were silent, their heads each filed with thoughts about what had happened between them, what it may or may not mean, Louis feeling a growing angst about what he was going to face with Hannah the next day. 

“So…” Harry said as he kept his eyes on the road, “is he the only cop in town, or do we just keep getting lucky?”

Louis chuckled, some of his tension releasing.  “I know, right?  What are the odds….although if I had to run into a cop I prefer him, so you can say we’ve been lucky.”

After a few moments, Louis continued, “I…I don’t know what to do about Hannah…I mean I know what I should do, I just don’t know how I’m going to do it.”

“And…what is it you should do?”  Harry asked.

Louis turned his head to look at Harry, who kept his eyes on the road but his eyes were bright and his grip on the wheel tight.

“I want to be fair to her…I don’t want to hurt her.  The fact is I….” he broke off, not quite able to finish his sentence.  “I…”

Harry glanced quickly at him.  

“I don’t feel for her the way I think she feels for me…the way I felt…the way I felt tonight.”  He finished quickly, then followed up with a quick, “I like her and everything, but I’ve been missing something…I’ve been missing Blueberry Hill, ok, stop looking at me.”  Now that he had opened up, the words started flowing from him in a long ramble. 

“I don’t know how to tell her, I’m not sure I want to tell her.  It would be nice to have a girl to date when school starts, you know what I mean? I’d have a date for Homecoming dance, but how is that fair to her, I can’t do that to her, I would never do that to her, but she will be hurt anyway…but better for her I be honest with her, but...then what?”

After a moment, Harry answered, “It’s the ‘then what’ that is freaking you out.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well….if you look at it one thing at a time,” he said quietly, “if you are dating someone and realize you only want to be friends, as you say, it’s the right thing to do to be honest with them.”  He swallowed.  “If they are hurt and want to break up, you break up, but the ‘then what’ doesn’t have to be all figured out, you know?  But at least you know you did the right thing. Hannah will appreciate you being honest if she is a good person.”  He shrugged.  “Going stag to a dance isn’t that horrible…it’s better than hurting someone.  That’s the way I see it anyway.”           

Louis stared at Harry’s profile, his conviction steadily growing that Harry was worthy in just about every way.

They pulled into Louis’ driveway and sat for a moment.

“You are a very smart guy,” Louis told him as he grasped the door handle.

Harry smiled weakly at him, his eyes tender, and pulling him in. “Just saying what you already know.  You’ll do the right thing.  I’m sure of it.  Whatever happens tomorrow, it’ll be all right.  If you need to talk, I’ll be around, but if not, that’s ok too.”

“School starts Monday….”  Louis answered, not sure how pertinent that information was, but somehow feeling it was to some degree.  “Niall mentioned going bowling Friday.  We could all still do that, though if Hannah and I….right, one thing at a time.  Regardless, that would be a fun way for you to meet the gang before school starts.”

“Play it by ear.”

Louis opened the door, got out, then they stared at one another.

“Thank you…for the invite tonight…everything.  I had the best time.”

“Thank you for coming….I…thank you.” 

Louis watched him as he breathed out and licked his lips.

“I’ll let you know how it goes…and about Friday.” He said quickly.  “Thanks again, Harry.”  He turned and quickly went into the house and upstairs to his room. 

Thoughts of Harry’s eyes, dimples, cheeks, smile, hands, and wise words spoken through pink lips flooded his brain, and he could still feel the after effects of Harry’s lips and tongue on his jaw and neck.  Tomorrow would have to be dealt with tomorrow, he told himself.  He took off all his cloths, got into baggy sweat bottoms, and went into the hall bathroom, one hand pressed to his groin, and the other locking the door behind him.

     

 

CHAPTER TWELVE – MORNING AFTER

 

Louis went straight to the coffee pot when he came downstairs the next morning.  His mother and Lottie were already at the table eating breakfast.

“Hey, sleepyhead, how was the bonfire?” His mother asked.  “You snuck in last night before I had a chance to talk to you.”

“Great, mom,” he answered, pouring a cup of and going to the fridge for some cream.  “I had a blast!”

He sat down and reached for a piece of toast.  Lottie looked up and then leaned over, squinting at him.

“Mr. Sheeran was there; a nice surprise!  He played guitar, we sang, I loved it!”

After a moment, he asked, “Is it ok if I take the car so I can take Hannah somewhere?”

“Certainly!”  She sipped coffee and watched his expression.  She knew her son so well, and detected a note of apprehension in his voice and mannerisms.

“So, you didn’t see Hannah last night?”  Lottie asked with a little surprise.

“No, silly, she got in during the middle of the night.”

Lottie sipped orange juice while staring pointedly at him.  “Well,” she began, “you might want to go change into a turtle neck before you pick her up, big brother.”

Louis froze, staring back at her, and it took him a moment to digest the implication.  He self-consciously raised a hand to his neck, giving himself away.  Lottie raised her eyebrows and took a bite of toast.  Louis felt his mother kick Lottie under the table.

“Take the car, Louis, and keep it as long as you like.  Mark gets off early, and we’re riding with the Jacobsons to go to dinner.”

Louis felt his face flush red, and quickly ate a piece of toast, his hand still on his neck.

“Thanks mom.”  He shifted his gaze to Lottie.  “There were a lot of mosquitoes last night; I must have gotten a nasty bite.”  He scratched the area, and then used both hands to raise his coffee mug, his gaze becoming a smug grin.

A corner of Lottie’s mouth raised up in a half smirk.

 

 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – HANNAH

  


Hannah took particular care that morning with her appearance, as she prepared for her first day back; Louis was coming to pick her up and she wanted to look her best.  She had missed him terribly, but along with the excitement of seeing him again was a strange nagging at the back recesses of her brain.

“Louis will realize how much he missed me,” she told her reflection in the mirror.  “We are gonna have a great day!”

Why did she feel as though she were giving herself a pep talk?

She jogged downstairs to join her parents and her brother Michael for breakfast.

“Michael, you missed out!”  her mother clucked.  “Jamaica was glorious!’

“I told you I couldn’t get off work.  Besides, someone had to hold down the fort.”  He watched Hannah as she sat and dished up scrambled eggs from the community kettle.

“I had the most wonderful time, but I can’t wait to see Louis!”

Her brother gave her a tired look and rolled his eyes.

“Why do you do that, Michael?  Stop with the eye rolling, please!”

“Ok, you two, don’t start fighting our first day back.” 

Michael shook his head and attacked his bacon.  “I don’t know what you see in him,” he answered, though his tone was oddly conciliatory.  “I think you can do better is all.”

She stared at him a moment.  “That’s for me to decide, isn’t it?  Besides, he’s funny, cute, nice…pass the salt please.”

He reached for the salt and looked at her with an odd expression.  “Ok…it’s good to have you back, sis.”

“Ummm…thank you.”  She took the salt, smiling warily.  His sudden attempt to make nice bothered her.

When Louis arrived, she met him at the car rather than wait for him to come to the door, giving him a huge bear hug.

“Oh, Louis, I missed you!”

He hugged her back tightly.  “Look at your tan!  You look great.”

She leaned back and planted a kiss, and he returned it in his usual manner; with a slightly tentative exploration.

“So,” he began as they got into the car.  “Where would you like to go?”

“Anywhere!” She cozied up next to him, and tried to pretend she didn’t notice that his smile seemed strained.

“How about somewhere quiet?  I’m thinking rocky point?”

“Sure!”

They reached the long, rocky beach, Louis looking up and down the shore and setting his gaze towards the pier.  He took a deep breath and led her by the hand to a large, flat rock.

“So…tell me about Jamaica,” he began as they sat down.

“Oh, I was a regular beach bum…the ocean is amazing.  We swam with dolphins, climbed the falls in Ocho, and ate great food; jerk chicken is my favorite!  The little eating huts along the beach were so cute!”

“Sounds fabulous, Hannah.”

There was something in his voice and manner that told her something wasn’t right; a little warning bell rang in the back of her head.  She shook it off and reached in her pocket to pull out a bracelet made of intertwined yellow, black, and orange cords.

“I brought you this…made by a Jamaican local. Give me your wrist.”

He held out his arm, and she placed it on him, clasping it with care.  He stared at it with a small smile.  “You didn’t have to bring me anything…”

“Of course I did; I thought of you every day.”

“Thank you.”  He played with the clasp.  “It’s very nice.”  He turned it around in a seemingly mindless way.

“What did you do while I was away?  How are you feeling about…” she stopped herself, remembering what he had said about not wanting to talk about…

“Zayn,” he finished for her.  “That’s all right.  We’ve texted several times.  I miss him, but I’m feeling much better about…everything.”

“I’m so glad,” she said with genuine relief, and reached out for him.

‘Hannah…” Louis began tentatively, and swallowed.

His tone mildly alarmed her.

“Yes?” She asked carefully.

“I….I need to talk to you about something.”

She searched his face, and finding his brow knotted and his eyes serious, she looked down and cradled the turquois ring on her right middle finger.

“I like you..a whole lot.” He rubbed his face with both his hands.

She continued playing with her ring, but her insides knotted up and moisture filled her eyes.  Somehow she knew what was coming.

“We’ve had a lot of fun, but I…I don’t think I’m the right guy for you.”

Her chin trembled and she bit her lower lip.

“I’ve thought about us a lot…I just don’t feel for you the way a boyfriend is supposed to feel for his girlfriend.  I’m quite incompetent that way.”

“Louis…” she squeaked tearfully, “this isn’t exactly the home coming I was _hoping_ for…”

“This sucks that I have to say this the day you got back, but honestly, I like you too much to lead you on.”

She still couldn’t look at him, but the longer he spoke, the stronger his voice became.

“You deserve someone who can give you what I can’t.  I’m so sorry.”  He reached over and placed a hand over hers.

Hannah swallowed and silently cursed the tears that spilled down her cheeks as she twisted the ring off her finger.  She picked his hand up and put it inside.

“Please keep that…” he said earnestly, reaching with his free hand for her tears.

She pulled away, shaking her head, wiping her own tears.  “No.  I’m not angry, just hurt. 

“I’m so sorry,” he repeated in a whisper, moisture filling his own eyes.

She blinked, determined not to shed more tears, and marveled at the sense of calm that filled her, even though her heart was wounded.  She wasn’t entirely surprised that Louis hadn’t fallen in love with her.

“Is there…is there someone else?” the question slipped out unbidden, but her sense of calm carried over in her voice.     

There was a long pause, and she turned to see him blink his eyes rapidly.

“I would never date a girl behind your back,” he finally answered.

She believed him, but the pause spoke volumes.  She didn’t probe any further.

“Thank you for being honest with me.” She couldn’t say anymore without getting emotional, so she squeezed his hand and stood up.

“I’m sorry, Hannah,” Louis said again as he stood with her.

“If you say ‘I’m sorry’ one more time, I may have to hurt you,” she said with emotion, and turned away.

“Do you want your bracelet back?”

“I have to go, Louis.”  She began making her way back toward the hiking trail.

“Will you be ok?  Dumb question, of course you will…I…what about a ride home?”

“I just need some privacy…I can walk.”

“Hannah….” He called after her.  “The guy who falls for you will be very lucky.”

“Good bye, Louis.” 

She knew he meant it, but tears were necessary, and she didn’t want to cry in front of him.  As she walked faster, tears flowing, her mind flashed back to the morning Zayn left.  Louis had walked away that day in a similar way she was doing now.  A premonition filled her heart as she continued her way home.

After watching her go, Louis turned to look out at the water.  “Then what?” He called to the seagulls and boats that couldn’t hear him.  While hurting someone was never something he took lightly, and he deeply regretted hurting Hannah, there wasn’t one fearful ‘then what’ scenario that compared to the feeling that he had done a brave and good thing by being honest. 

He reached for his phone to dial Harry.

 

 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN – DIVINGING IN

  


Louis paced along the path just off the rocky point, saddened about Hannah, but lightened in his spirit about sharing the truth with her.  He had no idea what was going to happen next, or what the school year would bring.  All he knew was that Harry made him feel alive.

Something made him turn towards the trail head, and after a moment, Harry appeared.  He paused, then made his way to Louis, and they spontaneously met in an embrace. 

They held on tight to one another, Louis with a hand on Harry’s low back and the other wrapped around his shoulders, and Harry with both arms in a bear hug, their bodies flush.

“That wasn’t easy,” Louis whispered.  ‘But I’m glad I did it.”

“I’m proud of you,” Harry stated in earnest.

"She asked if there was someone else. I didn't say anything about us...I wasn't sure if you...."

"It's alright."

Louis’ thumb rubbed against his shoulder and pressed their cheeks together.

Voices drifted down the path, and Harry started pulling away.  Louis gripped tighter to him, not letting him go.

“I don’t fucking care,” he growled in his ear, planting a quick kiss to his cheek.

“God, this is so beautiful!”  A female voice said close to them as she and her friend looked out at the water.  They walked around Louis and Harry and continued down the trail without a backward glance.

They pulled back to smile shyly at one another.

“God, I love tourists!”  Louis said with a wide grin.

Harry laughed and brought his hand down to grip Louis’ as they turned to walk down the path.

“So…”  Harry began, lightly brushing his thumb against Louis’ palm.

“Yeah…Hannah was hurt, and I felt horrible, but she was a trouper…almost like she expected it.  She didn’t go off like a lot of girls may have.  It was definitely the right thing to do.”

“I’m glad…you know, I hope I didn’t, um…”

“No, not at all.  Hanna and I never…you know, we never…” he squeezed Harry’s hand.

“I get it, trust me!”

“Right…Blueberry Hill,” Louis smiled at him, then paused shyly before adding, “You want to go somewhere?”

“You are the driver…lead on.”

When they got in the car, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a CD.

“What’s that,” Louis asked, starting the car.

“Plug it in and go to track three,” Harry answered with a slightly smug smile.

Louis obliged, turning the volume up, and listened as the introduction to “Blueberry Hill” started playing.  He opened his mouth in disbelief and stared fondly at Harry as Fats Domino started singing.

_“I found my thrill,_

_On Blueberry Hill,_

_On Blueberry Hill,_

_When I found you.”_

Harry gazed back at him, his heart leaping from his insides out through his eyes.

“Oh…”  Louis began, shaking his head as the song went on.  “You little….” As he stared at Harry, he let himself melt into an aura of chemical combustion, and couldn’t stop himself from lifting a finger and tracing it down Harry’s face, pausing at his dimple and slowly moving down his jaw and neck.

Harry’s eyes grew very dark and his expression reflected every ounce of passion that Louis himself was feeling; his mouth suddenly went dry and he swallowed. 

“So, do you think of me when you’re not with me?” he asked, referencing the song.  Harry smiled.

Without taking his eyes from Harry, he said, “We’re supposed to be going to The Rev tonight.”

Harry followed his eyes and nodded slightly.

“I, um…” Louis continued, looking out the windshield.  “I’m not sure I’m in the mood anymore; it was going to be Hannah and all of us, but now...”

Harry said nothing, but continued nodding, glancing from Louis’ hand back up to his face.

“So, I was thinking…” he looked back to Harry, licking his dry lips, “maybe you and me could just go camping or something.”  He added quickly, “I haven’t been camping yet this summer, and I usually like to get one trip in before the school year.”

Harry stared back, his eyes widening slightly.

“The guys would understand since I just broke up with my girlfriend…”  When Harry said nothing, he continued with a rush, “But we don’t have to…it was just a thought.”

“I’d love to go camping.”  Harry answered, leaning his head against the seat of the car, and turned to Louis.  “Hiking, stars... campfires...and stuff like that.”

*********************

Louis sat in the family’s garage spreading out the tent that had been stored all season, going through the bag to make sure all the stakes and necessary pieces were there.  His mother came through the door, shutting it behind her quietly, and stepped over to him, placing a hand on his head.

“You sprang the news on me rather quickly,” she said softly.  “Is there anything you want to talk about?  Are you ok?”

Louis slowly lowered the bag in his hand and found himself at another cliff edge, the height making him dizzy, but knowing there would be a net to catch him.

“I never really felt anything for Hannah in that way, and decided she deserved for me to be honest with her.”  He sat still, the bag unmoving in his hand.

“I see.”  She stroked his hair, not an ounce of shock emanating from her.  “That couldn’t have been easy, but I am very proud of you.”  She knelt down to kiss his cheek, then looked around at the equipment.  “Are you going camping?”

She felt him take a deep breath and continue counting out the stakes.  “Harry and I are going ...let’s see, that’s four, five, six…”

She brought her hand down to squeeze his shoulder.  “Harry seems like a great kid.  You’ve become good friends.”

“Eight, nine, ten….”  He scooped them up, adding them back to the bag.  “Mom…”

“Um hmmm?”

“Remember when Lottie was talking about Matthew Anderson?”

She began rubbing his back.

“Well…that’s exactly how I feel about Harry.”

*************************

“That one right there,” Louis said, pointing to the last stake as he held the rain flap to the ground.  Using a rock, he pounded it until it ran flush with the ground. 

After moving their sleeping bags and other equipment inside, they stood looking at their handy-work as the evening sun peeked through the trees, the air between them thick with the knowledge that this was more than just a camping trip. 

“Nice job.  That went quickly.”  Harry smiled, nodding his head.

“I’m glad this spot on the end was open.  It’s a ways away from the other sites…and the trail that leads to the top of the falls isn’t far.  We have time to hike before it gets dark if you want.”

“Awesome…let’s go.”

Louis grabbed two water bottles from the day pack, handed one to Harry, and they set out on the trail, Louis leading the way.

The scent of the blue spruce and cedar trees surrounded them as they wound up and down the dirt trail, the cries of blue jays, chickadees, cedar wax wings, and the distant sound of the falls in their ears.

At the crest of one hill, Louis stopped in front of him, and Harry bumped him, placing his hands on his shoulders.   Louis turned his head to him.

“This is one of the vista look out spots,” he explained, and Harry moved next to him as they stood on a large flat area looking down at the river.  The water flowed powerfully over rocks as it cascaded down the falls, clouds of mist rolling up from the bottom creating little glimmers of a rainbow.

“This is beautiful,” Harry breathed, and bravely leaned to the edge to look down.  Louis placed one hand on his shoulder, and adjusted his own bangs to the side with the other.

“Careful there, Curly.”

Harry threw him a smirk, and Louis grinned back at him, their eyes locking for moment.  As far as Louis was concerned, the best part of the scene before him was the person standing next to him. 

Harry glanced down at the hand on his shoulder, then reached up to sweep his own through his curls, letting his knuckles brush Louis’ on the down swing, a pink flush rising up his face.  Louis lowered his hand and touched Harry’s, watching his face, and Harry slowly intertwined their fingers. 

As they stared at one another a warm heat travelled through Louis and settled in the pit of his gut.  He moved his fingers through Harry’s, brushing his wrist with his thumb, Harry blinking, licking his lips and swallowing.

Wordlessly Louis turned, and they continued up the trail to the top of the falls, hands still entwined.  There was a wide platform of rock at the top, and they stood on it looking down as the river drove powerfully, swirling around rocks that blocked its path, rushing over the edge to the bottom.  

“There’s no stopping it, is there?”  Harry asked as he watched, mesmerized by nature’s spectacle. 

Louis’ eyes followed the path of the water as he stood next to Harry, and gently squeezed his hand.  “I don’t think so,” he answered.

 ***********************************************

Music at The Rev blared through the speakers while teams of bowlers set up at the lanes.  The lights were dim save for the brightly lit lanes, and booths along the parameter housed hungry teenagers; in one booth, Liam and his girlfriend Rachel, and Niall shared a large pepperoni pizza.

“How’d the scrimmage go, Payno?”  Niall asked.

“I’m so psyched for football!” Liam nodded his head to the music.

His pretty girlfriend Rachel leaned into him.  “You are going to be amazing this year, and your coach is going to nominate you, I just know it!” 

“He seemed unusually friendly towards us today after practice, didn’t he?” he asked her.

“He’s always made me a little nervous, to be honest, and he’s never spoken to me before.  I’m taking it as a good sign!”

Niall cleared his throat.  “He’s…quite the character, that’s for sure.”  He spoke with little mirth. 

“He said something strange during the pep talk after practice.  He said ‘your associations make the man’ and I swear he looked right at me.”

Niall intertwined his fingers and cracked his knuckles, and exchanged a look with Liam.

“I’m with Rachel…” he said. “He makes me nervous too; I don’t like his attitude towards Louis…but you didn’t hear me say that.”

Stan made his way through the crowd and slid in next to Niall.

“Hey, guys.  Sorry I’m late.”  He looked around the booth at them then grabbed a plate and started helping himself.  “Guess this means Louis won’t make it after all, huh?

Liam and Niall looked at one another, then Liam reached for another slice.  “I assume you heard…”

Stan nodded, his mouth full of pizza.

“Understandable they didn’t show.”  Liam continued, glancing at Rachel.

“Hannah is sad, but she’s doing really well, considering.” Rachel took a sip of coke.

“Well, that Harry could’ve still joined us.  I was looking forward to meeting him,” Stan added.  “I mean this outing was in his honor.”

Niall glanced at Liam and stifled a crooked smirk.

“What?” Stan asked him.

Niall picked up a piece of pizza “Oh…” he said, smiling innocently.  “Nothing.” And took a bite of pizza, Stan eyeing him suspiciously. 

********************************************

The sun had disappeared when they got back to the campsite, and Louis dug the cord of wood from the trunk of the car, mentally thanking his mother again for being the greatest mother in the universe.

“So I was never a boy scout, but I make a mean fire,” he stated.  “Let’s find some kindling.”

“We never had a use for campfires in Arizona,” Harry responded as they scrounged for small sticks and dry moss.  “There’s usually a fire ban cause it’s so dry.”

Louis slapped at a mosquito and pulled the sleeve of his hoodie down his arm.  “I hate those darn things.”

“We don’t have those either,” Harry teased.  “Did we bring bug dope?”

“I suppose I have some in the car somewhere…” he glanced over at Harry.  “You’re welcome to it.  I don’t like using it because…well, it smells nasty and I hate when it gets in my mouth.”

“Oh…”Harry paused, then brought his pile to the fire site.

Louis pulled a package out of his knapsack, opening three boxes with black coils on the top, and placed them around the campsite.  “Citronella burners…they keep the skeeters away.”  He lit each one and they started smoking.

“You, um…thought of everything.” 

Harry knelt on the opposite side of the ring admiring Louis as he built the fire, starting with piling the kindling in the center of the pit.  He stacked the bigger sticks around it like a teepee, then pulled out a book of matches.  Kneeling down, he lit a match to several pieces of birch bark and moss, watching as they flamed. 

Lowering his head, he started gently blowing on it with puffs of air, encouraging it to find nourishment in the sticks.  He felt Harry staring intently at him, and when the sticks started crackling as the flames shot up, he sat back up and returned his look, the new fire reflecting off his face.

“You’re good at that…” Harry spoke naturally, then looked down quickly into the fire.

A corner of Louis’ mouth turned up.  “We’re just getting started; now we need the logs.  Hand me a couple, would you?”

Harry brought an armful over and dumped them on the ground, saving two to hand to Louis, then sat down on the ground, preferring that to the log bench provided.

It wasn’t long before the campfire was a roaring success.“You know,” Louis began after he sat down next to Harry, studying his profile, “I think this is the easiest fire I have ever made.” 

Harry looked at him.  “You sure make it look easy.”

They watched the fire for a few minutes as it quickly ate the logs and turned them into ash.  Louis was very aware of Harry’s close proximity, and the idea of random banter and smore making was something far removed from his present mood.  He was at the cliff edge again, and wasn’t sure how or if to jump.

He openly stared at Harry, watching the fire reflect in his eyes, and the flush that spread to his cheeks, and the dimples that popped as he smiled, and an ache started in the depth of his belly and spread to every pore.

 “Sometimes…” he said quietly, “it can take forever to start a fire.  Sometimes…no matter what you do…the fire just won’t start.”

Harry’s look became very serious as their eyes locked.

“And other times…” Louis swallowed the large lump in his throat, “other times the fire almost seems to start itself.”

“I hear it all depends on the right kindling.”  Harry answered quietly, and walked his fingers over the ground to find Louis’ hand.

“True…”  Louis whispered, grasping Harry’s hand and scooting close to him.

“Harry…” he began, searching his face, still unsure, “I…I don’t want to make assumptions…”

Harry leaned in and whispered closely, “I brought you a Blueberry Hill CD.”  His eyes travelled to Louis’ lips and back to his eyes, while Louis let his gaze rest on Harry’s full, pink lips.  Louis slid his arm around Harry’s waist, watching his face, and Harry brought his mouth a breath’s distance from Louis’, their eyes locked and inviting.  Harry opened his mouth slightly, and Louis slid his over to meet him, their lips sliding together, electric bolts shooting through Louis’ brain.

They leaned back and smiled at each other, Louis bringing a hand up to cup Harry around his face and neck, Harry breathing through slightly puckered lips, his hands holding Louis’ shoulders, the thrill of the moment emanating through their passion-filled eyes.

They leaned in again to give each other soft, tender kisses, their hands bravely travelling over one another, desire flaring throughout Louis’ body.  He let one hand move to Harry’s knee and felt Harry’s tongue lick along his lower lip.  He breathed heavily through his nose and his own tongue reached for Harry’s and they both explored each other’s mouths. 

Louis pulled away long enough for a deep breath, their foreheads together, eyes half open. 

“Harry…” he whispered, “I’m feeling…how can people say this is wrong?” 

“It isn’t wrong.” Harry answered, his hand softly tracing Louis’ cheek.  “I’ve never wanted to….” Harry continued breathlessly, “kiss somebody this badly!”  He ran his tongue slowly over his top lip, Louis watching, then Louis reached for Harry’s mouth like a thirsty man for water, their kisses deeper, their tongues tangled.

Harry’s confession seemed to unlock whatever inhibition Louis may have been feeling, and as Harry opened his mouth for a wider, deeper kiss, Louis slowly moved his hand up Harry’s leg, and allowed it to rest on his upper thigh.

“Is this ok?” he whispered coarsly, and in answer he heard Harry’s small moan, and Louis paused only a second before rubbing his fingers in the crease of his groin.

“Louis,” Harry whispered hoarsely, and moved his hand under Louis’ shirt to caress his bare lower back.  “Yes…?” Louis whispered back, and as Harry moved his lips to suck his neck, Louis let his whole hand squeeze Harry’s groin.  Harry moaned into his mouth, and their kisses took on a fierceness motivated by a growing hunger, Harry’s fingers digging into his back.

Louis felt his own groin throb.  “Harry,” he whispered again hoarsely against his lips, and as Harry slowly reached for his inner thigh, he gave a little whimper, and leaned into him, gently guiding him to the ground. 

Louis searched his face and they locked eyes as Louis propped his upper body up with his arms, their groins against each other, their breathing heavy, heat from the fire and each other glistening on their faces. 

“Do you…do you want to go into the tent?” he asked Harry, breathing through his open mouth.

They unrolled their sleeping bags, then looked at each other.  Louis silently spread his fully out to cover the tent floor, and Harry opened his on top.  They removed their shoes and Louis his jean jacket and they crawled in, bringing Harry’s bag on top of them. 

Louis propped his head up, elbow on the ground, and caressed Harry’s face as they stared shyly at one another, leaning in.

After a moment, Harry slowly reached for Louis’ waist, slipping his hand under his shirt, Louis twitching beneath his touch.

“Are you ticklish?” Harry asked softly.

In answer, Louis slipped his free hand under Harry’s shirt and travelled from his abdomen up his chest, his palm caressing a nipple.  Harry breathed out through puckered lips and moved his hand around up Louis’ back.  Louis’ gaze rested on Harry’s bared abdomen, and then travelled back up to his eyes.   

“I…do you…” he began in a coarse whisper.

Harry raised Louis’ shirt up and over his head, Louis helping him along, and rubbed up and down his bare arm, his eyes caressing Louis up and down.  Louis swallowed dryly, his heart hammering in his chest as he slowly removed Harry’s, letting his hand softly stroke him from his nipple on down to rest below his navel. He felt Harry’s hand slide down his chest to cup his waist, and shivers of desire ran up and down his spine.         

Louis moved a leg to wrap it around one of Harry’s, and leaned in to softly kiss his shoulder.

“Louis…” Harry whispered, “would it be weird if I told you I think you are like…one of the most beautiful people…”

“If it’s weird…I like weird.”  He reached for Harry’s hand, bringing it to his chest.  “And I like you.”  He smiled faintly, their lips a hair apart.  “I like you a lot.

Louis reached for Harry’s lips with his tongue and slipped it inside, and every place Harry touched him felt like fire.

They moved their chests together, skin next to skin, Louis whispering in his ear, “You feel so good.”

Harry ran his lips and tongue down Louis’ neck, planted them next to his Adam’s apple, then said, “You taste so good,” and began sucking, his hands running up and down his back. Louis breath came harder and he gently rolled over on top of him, his hands running up and down the sides of his bare chest.

Harry pulled his lips away and their eyes locked, their groins and trunks flush against each other, Louis’ elbow propped on either side of him.  They stared at each other breathing through open mouths.

“The special person I mentioned the day I met you…” Harry breathed, “was my first boyfriend.  But it was never like this…we never got this far.”  He looked down and tentatively brought his hand up and ran a thumb over one of Louis’ nipples, then raised his eyes.

“Hoo,” Louis breathed, returning his look and swallowing.  “I’ve kind of been a confused mess myself; the friend of mine who moved away…Zayn….we messed around, but we weren’t a thing.  I…I only just started accepting that I just don’t like girls too much.”  They both grinned.  “And…” he began, running a hand up his chest to cup his neck, “nobody has ever made me feel the way you do.”  He ended the statement in a choking sound, and his eyes filled with moisture.

“Louis…” Harry barely spoke, and pulled Louis’ upper body to him in a hug, kissing him below the ear.  He reached for his hips, slowly moving down his buttocks, and Louis couldn’t silence the moan that escaped him.  He felt Harry’s growing bulge underneath him, and his own groin throbbed.  Louis’ lips travelled through Harry’s hair and he felt himself slowly start to grind against him, momentarily horrified; but when he felt Harry lift his hips to meet him, a thousand suns exploded and they began a gentle rhythm.

“So…” Harry whispered, his voice broken, “does this mean we’re going steady?”

“Haha,” Louis choked back, moving his lips to Harry’s mouth, and their tongues swirled together as their desire mounted.

“Just so you know…” Harry looked at him and was totally lost.  “Just so you know, this is the best campfire I’ve ever…”  Louis rubbed his hand up and down Harry’s body, lost in the thrill of being close to him, and Harry responded with kisses to his mouth, his hands cupping his buttocks as their grinding became more uninhibited.

“God, Harry,” Louis ground against him, his groin becoming harder with passion, Harry moving with him in a rhythm that grew in speed and franticness.  Louis finally paused, looking down at Harry’s face that was damp with sweat, his hairline wet, his eyes dark with passion.

“Harry…”  His breath came heavily, “I don’t want to…I don’t want to push you or anything.”

“You aren’t…I’m.”  He lifted a finger and ran it down the side of Louis’ face.  “I’m totally…you are beautiful Louis.”

“Harry, I want to kiss you…like…everywhere.”

“Oh…” he whispered, nodding, and slipped his hands under the waist of Louis’ jeans.  Louis licked his lips and ran his tongue down his abdomen, resting and sucking below his navel, and a soft whimper escaped Harry and he felt Harry’s groin hardened against him.  Louis’ hand explored Harry through his jeans, gently squeezing.

“Louis…” Harry breathed.

Louis moved his hand back up Harry’s body and pressed their groins together again in a heavy grind, Harry biting and sucking on his neck with a helpless moan, his hips grinding against his own almost desperately.

Louis paused again, and he felt Harry’s fingers digging into his back and his hips raise up to keep the friction.  He moved his hand again to Harry’s crotch, his fingers wrapping around his hardness.

“This would be better I think,” Harry breathed up at him, “without the pants.”

Louis brought his lips down to Harry’s mouth in a long kiss as he undid the snap on his jeans and slowly unzipped them, Harry’s cock pressing up underneath his jocky shorts.  He felt Harry slip his hands further down his bare buttocks under his own jeans, and he slid to the side as he undid the button and zipper of his own britches.

Their hands quickly slid each others’ jeans and shorts off, Harry shyly watching as Louis’ hardening cock sprang against him, even as his own throbbed painfully.

Louis ran his hand up Harry’s leg and whispered in his ear. “Harry….Harry I…ahhh.”

“Louis…”  Harry whispered desperately, “I want everything with you, please…”

“Ahhh…” louis gave another little cry as he licked his hand and reached down to stroke Harry, tentatively at first, and then upon seeing Harry’s reaction, grasping him, flicking the end of his penis with his thumb; he heard Harry gasp beneath him.  He began stroking him as he kissed his nipple and moved down his chest.  He suddenly moaned as he felt Harry’s hand explore his own cock, mimicking his own actions as he stroked Harry.

The world seemed to stop as their tongues tangled, alternately staring into each other’s eyes and breathlessly kissing one another.  They called each other by name as they pleasured each other, the dying fire and all the ills of their world forgotten. 

  

 

 

         

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

 

 

               

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

  

 

 

 

 

 


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